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Medvedev hopes joint ventures will be set up in automobile industry

He explained that apart from the Russian and Belarusian interests, account should also be taken of the interests of KAMAZ itsel

ZASLAVL, Belarus, July 18 (Itar-Tass) — Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev hopes that Russian-Belarusian joint ventures will be established in the automobile industry and machine-building.

“I believe that other joint projects will be implemented in the machine-building industry, car manufacturing and other areas,” Medvedev said, as he opened at a meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Union State of Russia and Belarus on Wednesday.

“If we manage to progress in this sphere, that will mean that the degree of our integration has qualitatively increased and won’t depend on international factors,” the Russian prime minister stressed.

A Russian delegation source said ahead of Medvedev’s visit to Belarus that some political decisions were necessary to set up a MAZ-KAMAZ joint venture apart from expert consultations.

In the meantime, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev believes that negotiations on setting up the MAZ-KAMAZ joint venture have entered an advanced stage. Russia and Belarus have managed to agree on many issues, but some still need to be clarified. “On the whole, it’s necessary to take account of the interests of several states and companies,” Medvedev went on to say.

He explained that apart from the Russian and Belarusian interests, account should also be taken of the interests of KAMAZ itself. KAMAZ is a Russian company in which the German concern Daimler holds a stake.

“The negotiating process is quite complicated. But I hope it’s going to end in a relatively short perspective,” the Russian prime minister concluded.