In particular, Mr Kokorin spoke about the three industrial parks currently under construction in the region. The region held its fifth investment forum, and the event was a success, with Chinese representatives from the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s Business Club selecting ten projects for investment.
Other subjects discussed included the development of a logistics centre in Kurgan Region, to take advantage of the region’s convenient location on the direct route via Kazakhstan to China. China, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan have all expressed interest in this project. The centre is linked to a railway connection, and planning work is also underway on a project to lengthen the airport’s runway by 350 metres so that transport planes would be able to land there. Road construction is actively underway, with an extra 1.1 billion rubles [more than $30 million] from the Federal Road Fund allocated for this work this year.