VLADIMIR PUTIN
ARCHIVE OF THE OFFICIAL SITE
OF THE 2008-2012 PRIME MINISTER
OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
VLADIMIR PUTIN
ARCHIVE OF THE OFFICIAL SITE
OF THE 2008-2012 PRIME MINISTER
OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
VLADIMIR PUTIN
Transcript of the beginning of the meeting:
Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon, Mr Zetsche. We have accomplished a great deal today, and I would like to thank you for that. As you remember, a month ago I met with you in Berlin. In my opinion, we have taken a big step forward since that meeting.
Dieter Zetsche (as translated): Mr Prime Minister, for my part, I would like to thank you for the opportunity to meet. At our meeting a month ago, I asked you for your support, and I very much appreciate that we have received it so soon. We have developed an excellent framework for our joint project.
Vladimir Putin: And so, what do you intend to do?
Dieter Zetsche: We are fully committed to this project and intend to invest 100 million in it over the course of two to three years. Of course, we don't only want to pump air into Russian tires, so to speak; we would like to expand this project and begin manufacturing engines, frames, and car bodies here, relocating production from Argentina to Russia.
Vladimir Putin: These are very far-reaching and substantive projects. They present a great interest to us, both in terms of the future of the Russian auto industry and our plans to localise production in our territory.
Mercedes has a good and well-deserved reputation in Russia, and I am confident that your vehicles will sell well on the Russian market as well as the markets of our primary partners, the countries of the CIS. We also hope that the Mercedes vehicles assembled here, at Russian facilities, will be in demand on international markets.
Dieter Zetsche: Yes, as you know, our company and our branches care about our reputation very much. That reputation is based on quality. We will pay close attention to our relationships with suppliers, who ensure proper production quality.
I expect that our cooperation with the Gorky Automobile Plant will be expanded to the entire Russian auto market, and we also plan to export our vehicles to post-Soviet states. We'll see how it goes. Hopefully, it will be a successful project.
Vladimir Putin: I've just spoken with the plant's workers, and I liked their attitude. The workers feel that an upturn is in progress; they trust their management. I also met with the director general and the top managers. By the way, they speak the same language as you – they come from Austria. They say they are proud of the workers. This positive attitude bodes well for the project and for the plant's future, I'm sure. For our part, we will do everything in our power to support the plant and this project.
Dieter Zetsche: I agree with you. The success of a project really depends on the attitude of those involved in it. I'd like to inform you that we are going to send a group of assembly workers from the plant to Argentina, where they will be able to familiarise themselves with the production procedure and technology so as to adopt them here in Nizhny Novgorod.
There is one more thing I would like to tell you: I have been involved in many projects in different countries, but I have never received government support as readily as in Russia.
Vladimir Putin: Mr Zetsche, I wish you every success, a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Dieter Zetsche: Thank you very much. I also wish you a Happy New Year, and then a Merry Christmas, in keeping with the Russian holiday.
