Tiraspol, 14 February. /Novosti Pridnestrovya/. Tiraspol and Novosibirsk are intensifying work on the socio-economic agenda of the town twinning agreement. During a teleconference, held in Pridnestrovian State University, the authorities of the two cities exchanged ideas about establishing mutually beneficial cooperation.
«There are chances to satiate our twinning with economic content," said Pavel Prokudin, a presidential adviser, who also took part in the teleconference.
«We hope for close economic, social and cultural cooperation," underscored the first deputy mayor of Novosibirsk, Gennady Zakharov.
Tiraspol and Novosibirsk signed the twinning agreement in June 2016. Since then the delegations of both cities have exchanged visits, outlining the main areas of cooperation.
The capital of Siberia, as Novosibirsk is popularly called, is a developed industrial and scientific centre. Besides, it is a huge market outlet: Novosibirsk is the third biggest city of Russia, with population of more than a million and a half people. Novosibirsk is Russia's seventh largest agglomeration, a significant interregional centre of socio-economic development and attraction for the whole macro-region of Siberia. Therefore, the twinning of Tiraspol and Novosibirsk suggests serious economic opportunities, first of all, for Pridnestrovian exporters. 36 research institutes and over 50 universities make the city attractive for cooperation in the education sphere in terms of training skilled employees, the lack of whom is one of the most pressing problems in Pridnestrovie.
The Novosibirsk authorities note, in turn, the interest of local retail chains in high-quality Pridnestrovian agricultural products. In addition, Novosibirsk has much to offer in the sphere of innovations, including energy saving, water purification, protection of plants animals and bees, as well as medical equipment.
The main problem in economic cooperation is the distance — Novosibirsk and Tiraspol are separated by over 3.500 km. The issue of logistics is one of the most essential in the work of twinning.
Pridnestrovian delegation in Novosibirsk, July 2016
Tiraspol will compile a list of industrial enterprises and agribusinesses that could supply their products to Novosibirsk. The president of Pridnestrovie's Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Yury Ganin, spoke about the idea of creating e-commerce between the cities. According to him, this will enable them to more efficiently address problems of logistics and exchange of goods. Besides, there is a real opportunity to open a trading house of Pridnestrovie in Novosibirsk, teleconference participants noted.
Ganin also broached the issue of investment deficit faced by Pridnestrovian agriculture. Given the growth in world demand for high-quality agricultural production, this area may be interesting for Novosibirsk investors, the chamber president said.
At present, two major Pridnestrovian enterprises work with Novosibirsk: multi-profile holding company Intercentrelux and electrical industry flagship Elektromash. The CEO of the latter, Vladimir Trandasir, talked about opening the plant's trade mission and, possibly, a service centre in Novosibirsk. According to him, Novosibirsk is the biggest logistics centre for hydrocarbon supplies, and one of Elektromash's area of activities is the production of engines for the oil and gas industry.
In April Novosibirsk will host a forum of urban technologies and in June the international forum Tekhnoprom. On this occasion, the Novosibirsk authorities have invited Pridnestrovian companies to take part in the innovation expos, which are in fact platforms for seeking new business partners.
