Tajik Minister of Industry and New Technologies Sherali Kabir has held meetings with a number of Russian regional administrators in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg on the sidelines of the four-day international industrial exhibition, dubbed INNOPROM-203, which kicked off on July 10 and is running through tomorrow.

On July 10, Sherali Kabir met with Rustam Minnikhanov, Head of Russia’s Tatarstan Republic.

Tatarstan president’s press service says the parties discussed issues related to bilateral cooperation between Tajikistan and Russia’s Tatarstan Republic in the fields of petrochemical and pharmaceutics.  

Recall, Rustam Minnikhanov was on a two-day working visit to Tajikistan in early March this and met with Tajik President Emomali Rahmon. 

Sectors like mining, oil-and-gas and chemical industries, light and food industries, construction, transportation, agriculture, tourism and pharmaceutics were outlined as areas, which could drive the bilateral trade between Tajikistan and Russia’s Tatarstan Republic.  

Tatarstan is a republic of the Russian Federation, located in Eastern Europe.  It is a part of the Volga Federal District; and its capital and largest city is Kazan, an important cultural center in Russia.

Tatarstan is one of the most economically developed regions of Russia. The republic is highly industrialized and ranks second to Samara Oblast in terms of industrial production per square kilometer.

On July 11, Tajik Minister of Industry and New Technologies Sherali Kabir met in Yekaterinburg with Yevgeny Kuivashev, Governor of Russia’s Sverdlovsk Oblast.   

Sverdlovsk Oblast Governor’s official website says the use of unique industrial competencies of Sverdlovsk Oblast for implementation of Tajikistan’s accelerated industrialization program was the focus of the meeting. 

The parties reportedly signed the Plan of Actions on expansion of cooperation between the Government of Sverdlovsk Oblast and the Ministry of Industry and New technologies of Tajikistan. 

Kuivashev, in particular, noted that Sverdlovsk Oblast strives to expand cooperation with the Republic of Tajikistan and “the Plan of Actions will give this work an additional impetus.”

“I know that Tajikistan is taking serious measures to provide the accelerated industrialization of the country.  Our region has unique competencies that can help solve this problem,”  Kuivashev said.  

For his part, Tajik minister reportedly noted that Tajik President Emomali Rahmon had set the task of doubling the country’s industrial strength in five years.    "That is an increase of 20% per year.  We have been achieving this goal for two years  and today we are talking about new projects,” Sherali Kabir was cited as saying.  

It was also noted during the meeting that the parties see broad opportunities today in the joint development of logistics.  Sverdlovsk oblast governor told Tajik minister about implementation of the “Dry Port” project that will turn Sverdlovsk oblast into the largest transport and logistics center of Russia.

Sherali Kabir noted that Tajikistan could act as a reliable partner of the Middle Urals in the transit of goods.     

Sverdlovsk Oblast is a federal subject (an oblast) of Russia located in the Ural Federal District. Its administrative center is the city of Yekaterinburg.   Rich in natural resources, the oblast is especially famous for metals (iron, copper, gold, and platinum), minerals (asbestos, gemstones, and talcum), marble and coal.

Sherali Kabir also held meetings with senior representatives of chambers of commerce and industry of Lipetsk, Novosibirsk, Krasnodar and Moscow oblasts.