Rustem Falyakhov 04.09.2016, 15:06
Alexey Filippov/RIA Novosti
The distribution of free acres of land and the creation of territories of priority development have been unable to stop the outflow of population from the Far East on the “mainland”. The idea of the offshore and the peculiarities of doing business with the Chinese in an interview, “Газете.Ru” said Yuri Trutnev, the Plenipotentiary of the President in DVFO.
— Two years in the far East for investors opened 13 Tori – priority development areas. Not enough. But none of the nine regions of the far East is not entered in top-20 leaders of the National rating of investment climate in subjects of the Russian Federation for the year 2016. What these Tori is not enough to be truly attractive?
— May be the ranking is something missing?
— Witty. But you recently commented to the effect that they, for example, tax incentives that are available in Torah, you may have to expand. If other States consider it possible to draw the tax potential by providing tax incentives, in General, the same you can do with us. Think so?
— Do not refuse the words. It was said at the meeting of the Supervisory Board of Free port of Vladivostok.
— Where is the end of legalized THOR and not very legitimate offshore? How will the Torah develop?
First: we believe that the Torah work, and work well. We often meet with investors and know that the business is always looking for more benefits and preferences. Sometimes even speak of exotic wishes. But the Torah developed. Trillion investment, registration of contracts. If we called this amount of attracted investments a year or two ago, before the creation of Tori, no one would have believed that was possible. Igor Sechin, the head of “Rosneft” told me how much he has saved, thanks to Tori. It is only through incentives. And he hasn’t mentioned that we in the Torah are creating the infrastructure for business. And it will allow to save is not enough.
— “Rosneft” says that it is ready to invest 1.5 trillion rubles in the development of the Far East.
— We can’t record it in your asset but I hope that it will happen.
If you remember, was the program of development of the Far East, which was planned to involve (from the budget) 2-3 trillion rubles. Allocate the money and the far East will blossom. And we have found a trillion. It comes in parts, in stages, but this money is contracted.
And now it turns out that a trillion seems small. I myself sometimes ask this question. A lot or a little? It turns out that little. If a trillion rubles to convert into dollars. That is, $15 billion is not so much money, and the territory is huge.
We are now in the beginning. We have created an offshore company, we have created a mechanism to attract investment. Besides, initially we did not plan to poach business from somewhere in Europe or Central Russia, so they are stuck. We should create a prosperous territory in the far East due to the deterioration in the European part of Russia.
I once asked my colleagues to record all significant events that occurred in the far East over the last three years…
Is since your appointment as the Plenipotentiary of the President?
Yes. It turned out a scroll with a length of five meters and it includes 39 events, that is, every three weeks was something meaningful.
— For example?
For example, support of investment projects through the creation of infrastructure. Or create a free port of Vladivostok. Or take the development Fund of the Far East. The Fund was dead, unfortunately. Money but spent it on herself, but as a development institution did nothing. Now the Fund works – loans at 5% per annum in rubles and for a long period, gives up to 10-15 years. Not every Bank can boast. The Foundation allocated funds for the construction of a bridge across the Amur river. It an extended history, a joint project with Chinese partners. The decision on this project was made before my arrival in the far East. Now we will finish…
Another significant step is the alignment of energy tariffs for businesses. In the middle part of Russia the rate of 3 rubles per kilowatt, and in the regions of the Far East is 2-3 times higher. It is clear that the transfer of electricity over a distance is a cost, but it is at the same time and additional costs for local businesses. This additional overhead, non-competitive environment. Position of power was this: as a grown up, and grown up, anything not to change, and power may encourage competition in the far East and thereby reduce the tariffs. But people are not guilty, is that here large distances and a closed energy system. How can there be competition? The President this idea of aligning tariffs supported. In the autumn we will make necessary amendments to the law. A significant event for business, for Tori? Of course.
And the Chinese have their portion of the bridge is already built…
— I am aware of.
— And part of them is 4/5 of the entire length of the bridge. China complains about the sluggishness of the Russian partners, I saw the interview of sampola people’s Republic of China in Russia.
— To understand. We are moving very quickly relative to many of our colleagues implementing similar projects in other regions. But reserves are still there. I am sure that even this task, as GDP growth in the far East 10% — solved problem.
— GDP growth of 10% — the Russian utopia…
— No, not a utopia. If it’s good and honest work, do it.
— Back to the “pivot to the East, to China in the first place. Not disappointed in the Chinese partners?
— The time you need. Any business can make an informed investment decision – it months, years sometimes leave.
— This bridge across the Amur river, nizhneleninskoe—Tongjiang – the same story?
— No. …There is a business game was, if briefly. There were some who wanted to take the entire mining plant, and bridge, which will carry ore. Failed. You know, without going into details, we have no such places where everything grows. Yes, we have to do in manual mode. You just need to increase cooperation, more projects to implement, enhance trust to each other.
In joint projects, often there is a fear that the Chinese will flood the far East…They offer their labor power to use on the Russian territory. Russia is against and because of this, many projects do not pan out. We are afraid of what?
— We are a strong country. What is there to fear.
You just have to think everything through. We are ready to work with the Chinese on these terms: the land is ours, the decisions we accept, for us the last word, and 80% of employees in the joint project is the Russians, 20% are Chinese. That’s fair.
— Flies to Vladivostok and other major cities and see the window: on the hills of bald spots. The forest is cut down and whole trains are exported abroad. The problem is known, but the decades have not solved. We give them the forest as raw materials, we are furniture, wood panels etc. it is Possible to reverse this trend?
— It is possible. Need. There’s a potentially big project with the Japanese. We were set a condition: whole processing in our territory. This company holds 30% of the market of panels for building construction in Japan.
The Islands issue is not solved on the political level…
Prime Minister Abe recently said that the policy of territorial disputes does not work and you need to change the way of thinking. Quote almost verbatim. He made it clear that economic cooperation is expanding opportunities for political dialogue. Here it is difficult to argue. It is obvious that to sit and do nothing in this direction is wrong. But it does not matter to me.
— Vladimir Putin has called one of the key challenges facing the country, the termination of the outflow of the population living in the far East. How do you think the creation of Tor and the distribution of free hectares solves the problem of depopulation? Or at least slows down the outflow of the population on the “mainland”?
— It is working. Earlier in the year went to 20 thousand people. Now – 4 thousand.
This capital outflow. He slowed down, because all who wanted have already withdrawn their money from Russia to other jurisdictions, more suitable for business…
— We can deploy the process of depopulation…
— You mean Russians will be pulled to the far East?
— Yes, for two years, you can stop the outflow, there may even be a tributary.
— How you can manifest such a miracle?
— Due to the implementation of our projects, all of which created jobs. The Zvezda shipyard is building 7400 apartments. For those who attend. It’s already a queue of specialists is, not workers, and engineers.
“Star” is the military — industrial complex, for them to find the money. And small and medium businesses? How many he will bring jobs?
300 projects are currently implemented mostly in small and medium-sized businesses. Such large projects as the “Star”, not a lot.
— You threatened to fire those officials who hinder the implementation of the project on the issue of land? Fired at least one? After dozens of failures in each region…
— Yes, dismissed. But there is often not the unwillingness to give hectares. Ignorance of the law. Not everyone knows that you can apply at first it was only in the pilot regions that initially this provision of the law applied only to residents of the Far East, and all Russians will be extended from February 1, 2017… On these grounds, quite legally, refused. A lot of the land unformed.
There are settlements in Primorye, where the elementary map not download – Internet speed is not enough.
It is for these reasons hampered the issuance of free ha. We still have six months, you will need to debug.
— How much of applications per hectare and how many approved?
— Not a lot yet.
— KPI officer will record the results of an unobstructed earth?
— I warned the colleagues from the regions. The area of land that could be granted by the free hectares, but was not given, I regard as an element of corruption in local government.
— At what level?
— On the Governor. Still goes from the Governor.
If the Governor wants to solve a problem, he has, of course, will decide. Or change the people who are not willing to work effectively. I think I heard.
— Many have to change?
There’s about 5% or a maximum of 10% of the managers in the Executive branch, which do not need much to motivate. They will always do what is necessary, on the basis of ideological considerations. It is a gold Fund managers. They care for the country. Or just want to be proud of themselves. But the fact is – they work on the conscience. And have about the same number of leaders, who will do anything to do nothing. And there is everything else. They need motivation. They need message. And it will improve, although not immediately, maybe. Our task is to motivate these people, to put them the right tasks.
What is the difference between the current Eastern economic forum from last year?
— Mechanisms of attraction of investments, about which we said at last year’s forum, which advocated, are already working. Everywhere investors are here. Already three projects in progress. Trillion of investments involved. Moreover, on this forum we had not planned a large number of speeches of officials and various leaders. I have during the forum were of one speech.
But Minister Alexander Galushka actively supports…
— We tried to make more said the investors themselves. Still, when the officer says that we create the conditions and support, it still sounds more like a promise. And when making a report and tells investor how much money he has invested and in which projects, what and where got the land that he will do what benefits were used and so on — is another story. And second forum – it about it. About real things.
— A real investment, this forum has brought more than last year’s?
— WEF 2015 gathered 1.3 trillion rubles. On this forum crop contracts higher – than 1.76 trillion.
