Japan interested in large-scale projects in Siberia & Far East.

22/4 Tass 201

TOKYO, April 22 (Itar-Tass) - Japan displays considerable interest in
large-scale projects in Eastern Siberia and the Russian Far East, said
here the Russian president's representative in the Far Eastern Federal
District Viktor Ishayev, speaking in an interview with Itar-Tass on
Thursday.
He continues the working visit to Japan, on the president's
instruction, at the head of a delegation which includes the governors of
the Sakhalin Region, the Khabarovsk Territory and he Primorye Territory.
"This desire by Japanese partners is corroborated by the results of
the recent talks with Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, key ministers and
Japanese prominent industrialists," Ishayev noted. "Great interest was
displayed in the Sakhalin-3 project, construction of a liquefied gas
factory in the Primorye Territory and development of the Elginsky coal
deposit in Yakutia".
Japanese companies, the Russian president's representative continued,
"would like also to participate in modernising and creating new port
infrastructure and construction of powerful coal and grain terminals in
the Far East".
"Following the global financial crisis, our Japanese and other foreign
partners," he continued, "are especially interested in exporting their
goods and technologies to our markets," Ishayev said. "Our business
cooperation is based on the principle of mutual trade."
These and other projects, he went on to say, "will be an important
component of the Concept for the Development of the Far East till 2050,
which is being drafted on an instruction of the country's leadership.
Specific particulars can become a subject for discussion during the 2012
summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Vladivostok".
Ishayev is sure that "there are good prospects for implementing
mapped-out plans, the economy of the Asia-Pacific region is growing at a
high pace in contrast to Europe where many niches are already occupied".
"We have to complete the construction of the East Siberia-Pacific oil
pipeline over the next few years, to develop infrastructure of Far Eastern
sea- and airports; quite a number of big projects will be erected in
Vladivostok and Russsky Island in connection with the APEC summit".
The Primorye Territory "plans to build with the participation of
Singapore and South Korean companies, a ship-building yard to manufacture
large-tonnage ships with a displacement of over 100,000 tonnes to ship
oil, petroproducts and LNG. Still another factory will put out floating
drilling platforms.
"The task is put forth to bring capacities of the Vanino port in the
Khabarovsk Territory in future for handling annually cargoes up to 108
million tonnes; the figure now stands at 12 million tonnes annually."
"These infrastructure projects are very appealing for our foreign
partners," Ishayev emphasised.
"According to our calculations, more than 300 billion US dollars of
state and private capital are to be invested in these projects by 2025."
In the words of the Russian president's representative, implementation of
these plans in the framework of the Concept for the Development of the Far
East till 2050 "will help to make the Russian Far East a new facade for
Russia".
-0-bur/gor