The delegation of Tatarstan is on a working visit to Finland

(KZN.RU, December 4). Today, Rustam Minnikhanov, the President of the RT, met with representatives of the Finnish business community and representatives of the Tatar diaspora in Finland as part of his working visit to Helsinki.

Pavel Kuznetsov, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Finland, Ilsur Metshin, the Mayor of Kazan, Albert Karimov, the deputy prime minister of the RT and the minister of Industry and Trade of the RT, Vasil Shaykhraziyev, the deputy prime minister of the RT, Radik Gimatdinov, an assistant to the President of the RT, Taliya Minullina, the head Investment Development Agencies of the RT, took part in the meeting.

The Finnish side of the meeting included heads of companies in the areas of automobile and tire production, industrial filters, furniture manufacturing, construction of modular enterprises for the food industry, the production of detergents, and others.

Rustam Minnikhanov noted that the meeting is a good continuation of the Tatarstan-Finnish business forum in Kazan, which was held in October of this year. “We expect that in the course of today's discussion, we will be able to discuss the proposals of representatives of Finnish companies and determine what needs to be done to work effectively in Tatarstan”, said the President of the RT.

Tatarstan is interested in Finnish companies choosing a republic as a launching pad for work in Russia. “The priority for us is to place your production in the republic. Tatarstan has all opportunities for the localization of Finnish business: special economic zones, territories of priority development, technology parks, and industrial sites. We have extensive experience in working with foreign investors”, marked the President of RT.

Today, Finnish business successfully operates in Tatarstan, helping to implement important socio-economic projects. The Company “YIT” builds residential buildings and high-quality facilities in the republic using the most modern technologies. The “Khukhtamaki” opened an enterprise for the production of disposable tableware and paper packaging in the SEZ “Alabuga”. In addition, direct flights are carried out between Kazan and Helsinki in the spring-summer period and Tatarstan-Finnish business forums are held regularly.

Pavel Kuznetsov, the Russian Ambassador to Finland, noted that in recent years, more and more Russian regions have been involved in the multifaceted Russian-Finnish cooperation, and Tatarstan has the most significant and prominent place here, reports the press service of the President of the RT. “In Finland, they know about Tatarstan as one of the most dynamically developing regions of Russia with a favorable investment climate. The authorities of the republic and the business community are open to mutually beneficial international cooperation. This causes the increased interest of Finnish companies to Tatarstan”, said the Ambassador.

Representatives of the Finnish business presented their companies and voiced the most interesting areas for cooperation at the meeting.

During the visit, members of the Tatarstan delegation met with representatives of the Tatar community in Finland. Pavel Kuznetsov, Ilsur Metshin, and others took part in the meeting. Rustam Minnikhanov noted that the diaspora serves as an example of successful adaptation in another country with careful preserving your national traditions and language for many decades.

The Tatars appeared in Finland at the beginning of the XIX century for the first time. The first Tatar community “Islam” was formed in Helsinki by a group of local Tatars in 1925 and it still exists. Currently, about 950 Tatars live in Finland. Most of them live in Helsinki. Today, the Islamic Society of Finland is headed by Golten Bedretdin. The Tatar community has its own teacher organization. Children attend Sunday schools, where they are taught the Tatar language and the basics of Islam. In summer, a camp is organized, where students also learn the language, culture, and history of the Tatars.

The opening of the World Conference of Start-ups and Young Entrepreneurs SLUSH also took place today within the framework of the visit of the Tatarstan delegation to Helsinki.