Sergey Chemezov
CEO of Rostec
Today is the time when “industrial diplomacy” steps forward as an effective and an inherent element of foreign policy. For people of Latin America and relations between Russia and Brazil it means the existence of a possibility of continuing a history of independent and sovereign development in 21st century and retention of the right to choose their own future.
State Corporation Rostec, as Russia’s industrial ambassador, places its stake on industrial interaction with the BRICS countries to create a new technological wave, which will provide global economic security without separating humanity by political and ideological criteria.
It is evident, that countries, which can be defined by stable and global competitiveness with substantial expenses on education and science within their GDP, will conduct groundbreaking research. Collaboration with Russia in high-tech industry will allow Brazil and others Latin American countries to take progressive steps in development of their local technological competencies. This will change the very core of the relations between Russia and South America – “food supplies in exchange for technologically intensive products”.
Since April 1st, 2015, Russia holds the presidency of the BRICS Business Council. Russian President Vladimir Putin declared the intention to contribute to the empowerment of BRICS on the world stage. Forming full-value mutual industrial alliances with countries of the region, where the system of investments and technological exchange, on the assumption that all opportunities within the mutually supportive economics are taken, is very elaborated, – is part of the intention to build a new world order, with stable development as its main goal.
Brazil defends its interests in mutually beneficial collaboration with Russia, which, for example, recently has led to the signing of a Memorandum of cooperation in such fields as science, technology and innovations between the governments of BRICS countries.
I shall underline that with sanctions imposed, Russia and, in particular, the State Corporation Rostec, keep collaborating with all partner countries, understanding that only business with mutual technological development contributes to economic prosperity. In this way an American company – Boeing, to which VSMPO-AVISMA supplies about 40% of titanium products, does not renounce the intention to invest about 27 billion USD in different projects in Russia in the next 30 years.
In October 2014, General Electric and United Engine Corporation launched a manufacturing and servicing plant as well as sales of gas turbines in Russia. Contract values of Rostec with just the ten top European companies (Daimler, Airbus group, Agusta Westland, Renault-Nissan, Thales group, Sagem, Rohde & Schwarz, Rolls-Royce, Pirelli, STX Europe) exceed 16 billion Euro and our foreign partners are definitely interested in saving these contracts.
Rostec is ready to present its technological support to Brazilian structures and BRICS countries to foster their transition to a new level of local technological platform. We offer new opportunities of not just supplies of high-technology products, but also for creation of new joint manufacturing in Brazil.
Moreover, today we can speak of the premises for development of a whole scale of projects between three and more countries, which would unite technological competencies of BRICS countries and in such way consolidate independency of every member-nation of the group. Today such new financial tools, created by BRICS New Development Bank, intensify potential to develop new technological platform for BRICS countries.
Under the possible fields of collaboration, we mean such high-demand areas as: air traffic control, electronic government systems, port infrastructure, automobile production, radio electronics, and biopharmaceutics. In addition, we are talking about cooperation in projects using advanced technologies of Rostec’s holding companies in such spheres as aviation and helicopters, medical equipment, electronic warfare system, electronic optics, motors and turbines, and products such as the exclusive Russian smartphone with two screen – Yotaphone.
However, the actual signal to consolidate rising business and industrial relations between Russia and Brazil is the latest supply of the MI-35M helicopters to Brazil in the end of 2014. It is important that both Russia and Brazil do not restrict themselves to only this project. Activation of negotiations on this and others projects, including those, which were held during the Defence and Security international exhibition LAAD-2015, will foster Brazil to put a stake on industrial reinforcement in 21st century.
