Translated material
Equipment on credit
VEB organizes new production facilities in Russia
During Vladimir Putin's visit to Italy, which ended yesterday, both Russian and Italian officials emphasized that economic relations are developing extremely successfully, and trade turnover is growing year after year. Yesterday, as part of interstate consultations held in the city of Bari, this was confirmed by a package of new contracts and agreements. Two of them were concluded with the participation of Vnesheconombank.The head of VEB, Vladimir Dmitriev, and the deputy general manager of Mediobanca, Massimo Di Carlo, signed a loan agreement to provide the Russian bank with 122 million euros under insurance coverage from the Italian export agency SACE. The document signing ceremony took place in the presence of Vladimir Putin and Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi. VEB has more than intensive contacts with Mediobanca, based on a memorandum concluded in 2004, which provides for the possibility of lending to industrial projects in Russia for a total amount of up to 1.5 billion euros.
Several projects are already being implemented. And the loan signed yesterday actually has a specific purpose - the funds will be used to implement a project with the participation of Russian and Italian companies. We are talking about the construction of the Ramenskoye logistics terminal in the Moscow region.
The logistics center is expected to become a hub for the transportation of household appliances, food, flowers, agricultural and other types of Russian-made products. The transit destinations will be the European part of Russia, as well as the Urals, Siberia and Kazakhstan. According to the project, the logistics terminal will also include a flower exchange similar to the Dutch flower auction.
It is possible that the products of the enterprise, the creation of which was agreed upon by VEB, Merloni Projetti and Littern Consult, will also go through Ramenskoye. Yesterday in Bari, a package of constituent documents was signed on the creation of a joint Russian-Italian enterprise - a plant for the production of household appliances, which will be located in Orsk, Orenburg region.
“This project fits into the priority strategic directions of development outlined by the leadership of our country to support national production of products with a high degree of added value,” Vladimir Dmitriev said yesterday. This particular project is not starting out of nowhere. VEB has already financed the modernization of refrigerator production at the Orsk plant under a contract with Merloni. The logical continuation was the agreement to create a new production facility in the form of a joint venture. “We are not starting from scratch,” noted the head of VEB. “Vnesheconombank has already made serious investments in the development of household appliances and intends to make efforts to develop the production of household appliances in Russia, oriented not only for domestic consumption, but also for export.” The head of Vnesheconombank considers an important aspect of this project not only the degree of manufacturability of production, but also the regional aspect: “The economic and social benefits of the project are obvious due to the fact that taxes will be paid to the regional and federal budget, and thus the project will make a serious contribution to the development of the regional economy". The head of the Merloni concern, Vittorio Merloni, who was present at the signing ceremony, assured that his company will continue to work to improve the quality of products and produce household appliances of the highest European class in Russia.