"Tatarstan has chances to become the venue for holding the EBRD's annual meeting," said today after a meeting with the Minister of Trade and Foreign Economic Cooperation of Tatarstan Khafiz Salikhov the EBRD's acting General Secretary Nigel Carter.

As is known, Kazan is a candidate city for hosting in 2007 the annual EBRD Board of Governors meeting. This possibility was discussed on 19 April 2005 by the Tatarstan's Prime Minister Roustam Minnikhanov and head of the EBRD's department of events organisation and protocol Christer Carlsson at a meeting at the Cabinet of Ministers of Tatarstan.

The proposal to make Tatarstan's capital the venue for this grand rally was made by the Russian Premier Mikhail Fradkov who had sent a letter to the President of the EBRD. On 21-22 May 2005 the Trade and Foreign Economic Cooperation Minister Khafiz Salikhov represented Tatarstan at the EBRD annual meeting in Belgrad.

Khafiz Salikhov recalled that in April 2005 Christer Carlsson had visited Kazan. He evaluated the state of the municipal infrastructure, safety level and other factors. The EBRD's delegate was taken on a tour around the city, saw a number of the hotels, the Pyramid entertainment centre, Kazan international airport. At the moment all the planned facilities are completed and the city can be compared to what it was.

Khafiz Salikhov noted that Kazan has an experience of arranging such grand rallies as earlier in August it had held the celebration of the1000th anniversary that had turned out to be "a good exam". The one of Russia's best equestrian facilities had been built in merely 7.5 months.

Nigel Carter said, based on the results of his visit, a report for the EBRD Board of Governors would be prepared that would be considered when making the decision regarding the venue for holding the annual shareholders' meeting.

Last year, the forum was held in Tashkent, in 2006, the event is to be held in London.

A EBRD management council meeting takes three days. The total number of the participants and invitees is 2.5 thousand people, majority of whom represent the "near" and "far" abroad countries, among the bank 's shareholders are 60 countries and 2 international organisations.

The VIP list may include heads of states. Up to seven events are simultaneously held in the course of the meeting. A business forum is planned to take place within the frameworks of the session that will assemble international investors and businessmen. This event is of particular importance for Tatarstan as it needs to enhance its investment attractiveness. Despite the substantial amount of investment in plant and equipment there is still a lack of direct foreign investments. Last year, EBRD invested into the Russian economy 1.2 billion euro, a comparable sum is expected to arrive this year. The bank pays great attention to the Russian regions, the Volga District causes a special interest.

On 8 September, a presentation of the economic potential of Tatarstan is to be held for the EBRD delegation at the premises of the trade ministry. It is quite likely that a similar presentation will be arranged within the framework of the Days of Economy in London at the EBRD shareholders' meeting in 2006.

7.09.2005
Source: Intertat.ru