Russia steadily moving toward restarting all auto plants abandoned by foreigners

ST. PETERSBURG, June 5. /TASS/. Russia is steadily moving toward restarting all auto plants abandoned by foreign investors, Industry and Trade Minister Anton Alikhanov said in an interview with TASS on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), adding that the production of Senat-brand vehicles has already begun at the former Toyota site in Shushary.

"At the end of last year, we announced that more than 80% of previously abandoned production sites had been restarted, and we are steadily moving toward 100%, considering that serial production of Senat vehicles has already begun at the former Toyota facilities in Shushary," he said.

Around 30,000 jobs, as well as an industrial base for the annual production of roughly 1.6 mln cars, were saved thanks to this work, the minister added.

The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum is taking place on June 3-6. This year’s theme is "Pragmatic Dialogue: the Path to a Stable Future." The forum program is dedicated to shaping a new model of global development amid the ongoing transformation of the world economy.

The program includes the SME Forum, the Creative Industries Forum, the Day of the Future International Youth Economic Forum, and the Ensuring Drug Security Forum. As part of the cultural program, the Petersburg Seasons festival and the traditional SPIEF Sports Games will take place. This year, Russia’s national economic development institution VEB.RF is the title partner of SPIEF.

The Roscongress Foundation is the organizer of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. TASS is its official general information partner.