President of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov: Tatarstan and Nigeria can cooperate in the sphere of oil production and petrochemistry, mechanical engineering and education

President of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov met with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Federative Republic of Nigeria to Russian Federation Mr. Timoty Mab Shelpidi in Kazan Kremlin.

They discussed tuning up cooperation between Nigeria and Republic Tatarstan.

Rustam Minnikhanov greeted delegation from Nigeria and thanked the Ambassador for the in development of relations between Nigeria and Russia and its regions.

“Unfortunately our relations are not well-developed”, - President of Tatarstan said. He thinks Tatarstan and Nigeria have a lot in common. The parties are capable to cooperate in the sphere of oil production and petrochemistry, mechanical engineering, education and culture.

Rustam Minnikhanov noted that Nigeria is oil-producing country. It is also possible to increase the number of students coming from Nigeria to get education in Tatarstan universities.

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Federative Republic of Nigeria to Russian Federation Mr. Timoty Mab Shelpidi thanked for hearty welcome and congratulated Rustam Minnikhanov on inauguration. Our delegation is here to consider new possibilities of cooperation with Russian regions, Ambassador of Nigeria said. He told briefly about the history of independent Nigeria and stages of relationship with Russia which have been carried on since 1960. The Embassy of Federative republic Nigeria was opened in 1963 in Moscow.

Russia has always helped Nigeria in obtaining military arsenal, training militaries and their studying in Russia.

Mr. Timoty Mab Shelpidi also thinks that cooperation between his country and Tatarstan may be developing in oil and gas production, petrochemistry, mechanical engineering, particularly aircraft and helicopter engineering. By his words specialists of Nigeria need experience and technologies of Tatarstan.

He stressed likewise that today Tatarstan demonstrates stable economy, that’s why RF President and Chairman of RF government chose Kazan for holding Universiade-2013.

Timoty Mab Shelpidi highly assessed the experience of Tatarstan in peaceful co-existence of different confessions. He said that Nigeria is a multi-ethnic and multi-confessional state, which is interested in Tatarstan’s practice.

President of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov entrusted Acting minister of industry and trade Ravil Zaripov with forming a working group by results of Nigerian delegation visit to Tatarstan.

Later, Tatarstan specialists will visit Nigeria in order to determine joint perspective projects and their implementation.