The Minister of Industry and Trade, Martin Kuba, supported further strengthening of the mutual economic relations between the Czech Republic and the economically significant region of Tatarstan, which is part of the Russian Federation, during a meeting with President Rustam Minnichanov Innichanov on Monday.
Minister Kuba endorsed the engagement of Czech companies in Tatarstan and urged greater activity from Tatar companies in the Czech Republic. President Minnichanov confirmed interest in cooperation, particularly in the engineering sectors, education, and science.
The visit of President Minnichanov to the Czech Republic followed last year's autumn business trip of the Czech minister to Kazan. Kuba led a business delegation that returned with agreements worth nearly two billion Czech crowns.
"Cooperation with Russian regions is very important for the Czech Republic. Therefore, further deepening of economic ties with Tatarstan must continue to be supported and developed. The total Czech exports to the Russian Federation and their continuous growth are evidence of this. However, we also want Tatarstan companies to explore investment opportunities in the Czech Republic,” the Minister of Industry and Trade clarified.
President Minnichanov already has several experiences working with the Czech Republic and Czech entrepreneurs, and several joint projects are underway or in preparation in Tatarstan.
“Our interest in the Czech Republic is systemic. The success is also guaranteed by our personal involvement. Prior to my visit to the Czech Republic, there were visits from your president, the Senate president, two ministers of industry and trade, as well as many entrepreneurs to Tatarstan. The interest in closer cooperation is also reflected in our joint working group for economic cooperation, the regular air link, the operation of the Czech Visa Centre in Kazan, and the direct trade representation of Tatarstan in the Czech Republic,” explained President Minnichanov during his meeting with Minister Kuba.
The Tatarstan delegation, led by President Minnichanov, had on its agenda the signing of several cooperation agreements, visits to the Senate, the Temelín nuclear power plant, engineering factories, universities, technology centers, and parks both in Prague and in South Bohemia or Brno. One of the engineering companies visited was the South Bohemian MOTOR JIKOV GROUP.
"I am pleased that the President of Tatarstan found time to visit MOTOR JIKOV GROUP. We discussed business relations and potential collaborations on projects, mainly in the automotive industry and alternative CNG propulsion (note: MOTOR JIKOV GROUP develops, manufactures, and offers filling stations from 5 to 100 m3 of compressed natural gas),” said Miroslav Dvořák, Chairman of the Board and CEO of MOTOR JIKOV Group, upon commenting on the visit. As part of the visit, Tatarstan's President Minnichanov also toured the company's facilities in the Czech Budejovice region.
The Russian Federation is an important economic partner for the Czech Republic. Mutual trade exchange increases annually, reaching its most successful results in 2012. Total turnover surpassed 14 billion dollars last year, increasing by six percent compared to the previous year. Czech exports accounted for over six billion dollars (a 17.5 percent increase). In terms of total trade and imports, Russia is the Czech Republic’s fifth most important partner, and seventh in exports.
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