Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov Believes It's High Time To Start Supporting Industrial Enterprises

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov believes that after the stabilisation of the financial and economic spheres and macroeconomy, the time has come to start supporting industrial enterprises. Arriving in Yaroslavl (central Russia) on Friday for a one-day working visit, the head of government pointed out that in the past two years the enterprises received a possibility to get profits, and now everything should be done to spend this money on modernisation of concrete enterprises. Mikhail Kasyanov intends to visit the Nefteorgsintez oil refinery. The Prime Minister specially emphasised that a unique investment project to the tune of 600 million dollars was being realised at that enterprise. Apart from that, Mikhail Kasyanov will visit the Aftodizel plant which is being modernised at the present time to be able to carry out the Russian-Belarussian programme for the development of the diesel-building industry. The Prime Minister said that Russia had serious problems in producing diesels. Europe has already reached the Euro-3 standard, while we produced last year only 900 engines conforming with the Euro-2 standard. Thus, we are seriously lagging behind in ecological parameters, said the Prime Minister. Mikhail Kasyanov believes it necessary to coordinate the actions of the authorities with the management of enterprises so that the owners and the state could ensure the Russian diesel-building industry putting out its products in conformity with the European standards. "It is necessary to take system measures in this sphere," said Mikhail Kasyanov. The Prime Minister will also visit the Yaroslavl branch of the Military Financial and Economic Faculty and the centre handling the problems of old people.