Carlos Ghosn: (back translation) Thank you for your hospitality, Mr President. I want to say that thanks to all the very kind people we met here in Russia, we were able to make our investments.
I would just like to ask one question. We are investing – Nissan is at the head of the list of investors in Saint Petersburg – and we are also going to increase our investments in Moscow in Avtoframos. As promised, we had discussions with Avtovaz. We carried out a great deal of research, 40 of our experts visited Avtovaz and spent a substantial amount of time there. My question is very simple and short: will you support Avtovaz’s cooperation with other companies?
Vladimir Putin: First of all I would like to say that I support your decision to start assembling production in St Petersburg. Nissan is famous throughout the world. I know that our government offered you 11 possible places to start business in Russia and you chose St Petersburg. This is very pleasant for me because the municipal authorities are doing a great deal so that their partners make similar such decisions. Including in this case where, as far as I know, the Governor made the decision to invest almost 500 million rubles in infrastructure to facilitate your work. I hope that your work in Russia will be successful.
Regarding other projects, then I hope that the development of Avtoframos in Moscow will help solve a lot of problems and that the quantity of vehicles produced will increase. Certainly we shall support plans to expand your activities, including with respect to Avtovaz, if your Russian partners are interested in this work and if you agree with them on all aspects of cooperation.
I know that today with the Russian government’s support positive changes are taking place within Avtovaz, changes that are first and foremost connected with putting accounting in order and creating normal conditions of production. And this by itself results from governmental support. It is as though we are clearing a platform, creating conditions for normal, civilized, teamwork. And undoubtedly companies are interested in the inflow of fresh ideas, fresh professional management as well as development prospects and promising models.
We would like the company’s work to be as transparent and as modern as possible. And this would meet the requirements of today’s market conditions.