Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin visited Russia’s main industrial exhibition Innoprom Photo: Dmitry Astakhov/POOL/TASS
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin visited Russia’s main industrial exhibition Innoprom, which is being held for the 14th time in Yekaterinburg. Traditionally, the exhibition is attended by heads of the largest companies from dozens of countries, and this time the UAE became Innoprom’s partner country. And this is not without reason. The mutual trade turnover by the end of 2023 between Russia and the UAE has approached 1 trillion rubles and the countries are interested in joint projects.
Mikhail Mishustin visited the exhibition together with other heads of delegations (Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and the United Arab Emirates). The Ulyanovsk stand featured an emergency slide for aircraft of the Super Jet New, MS-21, Tu-214 family, as well as a Sollers ST8 pickup truck. The start of serial production of the pickup truck using full-cycle technology is planned for the first quarter of 2025. The car and some components of the car will be produced at the UAZ industrial park.
At the stand of the Sverdlovsk region, Mishustin and the guests were presented with the project of the Verkhnepyshminsky tram, which
It connects Verkhnyaya Pyshma and Yekaterinburg. Due to the convenience of the route, residents began to travel by tram more often: passenger traffic increased by 65%.
Belarus brought new products from its automotive industry to the exhibition. For example, the MAZ plant showed the MAZ-X tractor truck. And the Kazakhs brought to the exhibition a pumping machine painted in the technique of Gzhel craftsmen from the Karaganda Foundry and Machine-Building Plant of the Kazakhmys Corporation.
“A Gzhel-painted oil pump is a blessing,” Mishustin said in surprise.
Uzbekistan presented its turbochargers, cooling radiators from Kyrgyzstan and Tajik products from the food and textile industries.
The UAE exhibition was attended by pharmaceutical companies, steel and construction materials manufacturers, as well as
The largest industrial zone in the Middle East is Khalifa Abu Dhabi (KEZAD). Khalifa Port has direct shipping routes to 70 international ports.
In cooperation with the Russian-Emirati Business Council, a Eurasian trade and industrial centre has been established in KEZAD, which will allow Russian companies to locate production and logistics facilities on preferential terms. Currently, more than 40 Russian companies are registered in KEZAD.
The Emirati guests also showed Mishustin a falcon from the UAE nursery, although it later emerged that the bird came from Kyrgyzstan.
“The main priority is to strengthen ties with friendly economies,” Mikhail Mishustin said at the plenary session of Innoprom.
He recalled that initiatives are being developed within the EAEU to expand the production of high-tech products. In 2023, a mechanism for financing new projects in priority sectors was approved and the selection of applications began. About 1.8 billion rubles will be allocated from the EU budget for its implementation. The funds will be used to subsidize the interest rate on loans for the development of industrial enterprises.
“We hope that the Russian presidency of the CIS and BRICS bodies this year will open up additional opportunities for the implementation of joint initiatives in the economy, industry, energy, transport, infrastructure, agriculture and many other areas,” Mishustin said.
The Prime Minister said that Russia will continue to actively participate in the formation of the broadest possible international economic cooperation.
“We are open to all those who are willing to cooperate on the principles of mutual trust, respect and consideration of each other’s interests,” Mishustin said.
The Prime Minister also stated that the domestic industry not only withstood the sanctions, but is also growing. So,
At the end of last year, the manufacturing sector grew by 7.5%, and in the first five months of this year – by around 9%. At the same time, a positive trend can be observed in almost all areas.
Mishustin also spoke about Russia’s potential in the field of food security. The prime minister said that Russia is ready to increase supplies of fertilizers, agricultural machinery and food equipment to countries in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America.
