Rustam Minnikhanov at the first Caspian Economic Forum: The potential of the countries of the Caspian region is huge

On August 12, Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov, who is taking part in the first Caspian Economic Forum in Turkmenistan (Turkmenbashi) as a member of the Russian delegation led by Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, congratulated his colleagues from Turkmenistan for the perfectly organized first Caspian Economic Forum.

He stated this in a brief interview with reporters of the Russia-24 television channel as part of the forum.

Answering journalists' questions, Minnikhanov said that the potential of the countries of the Caspian region is huge. In particular, he noted that Tatarstan as a region of Russia also enters the Caspian through the Volga river.

Speaking about the participation of enterprises of Tatarstan in the international exhibition of innovative technologies of the Caspian littoral states, Minnikhanov noted that, for example, a large number of KAMAZ heavy trucks are delivered to Turkmenistan and that they are widely recognized there.

According to Minnikhanov, “Tatneft Company is very active in developing the oil refining sector. The Tatneft Oil Company is rendering services in Turkmenistan and plans to expand them. Moreover, other industrial enterprises from Tatarstan, including the Kazan Compressor Plant, which supplies compressors, as well as the IED-Holding, are represented in Turkmenistan.”

“The market as a whole is favorable, and our relations are good,” Minnikhanov said. “And we plan to expand our business contacts.”

Speaking about the need for such a forum, Minnikhanov noted that many issues discussed at the forum are related to logistics. “By and large, the Caspian is a powerful logistics centre, and a huge volume of both consumption and export to five Caspian countries comes through it. And these countries are rich in hydrocarbons and other natural resources. Let us suppose that we can get through the Caspian Sea to both the Azov and the Black Sea. And the Volga river should also be used more actively. I believe that the development of logistics routes is the number one issue. The second is, of course, the huge markets of countries such as Iran, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan and other countries through them. This includes the promotion of products of Russian manufacturers, and the import of products, raw materials from the countries of this zone. The potential is great. Head of the Russian delegation Dmitry Medvedev drew attention to these issues, and he emphasized that this is a very promising area for our country in his speech, ” Minnikhanov said.

Tatarstan President also commented on why such serious attention is paid to environmental issues at the forum. “Water is not only an opportunity for transport and logistics,” he said. “And when we intensify our work in water open spaces, we harm nature. It is necessary to do everything in a balanced way. That is why, according to national projects, the rehabilitation of the Volga river is also a large project. I believe that this is very important, since the Volga flows into the Caspian. Everything must be balanced, and when we develop logistics, the issue of the preservation of the environment raises immediately. ”