"The company takes a right step. At present, the Russian market of railway freight traffic is growing rather rapidly, but the locomotive fleet in Russia needs to be seriously renewed. As a matter of fact, it is necessary to go over to a new generation of locomotives," Khristenko said.
At that meeting the Russian side also expressed its readiness to consider the question of promoting American agricultural machinery at the Russian market.
"The existing leasing company, Rosagroleasing, is to a great extent oriented on the products of Russian enterprises; the American companies, John Deere, for example, have at least two trends in their work," Khristenko said. In his opinion, "it is necessary to increase the share of making components in Russia and to create forms of participation in the leasing business."
Khristenko said he believed there were no limits for purchasing assets of the woodworking enterprises. However, this segment in the economy, according to him, is connected with the amendments in the Russian legislation; this fact may create some uncertainty today for investors.
Commenting on the amendments in the Forest Code of the Russian Federation, Khristenko said that they are aimed at liberalizing and making transparent relations in this sphere. According to him, the strategic interest of state is to trade in products of woodworking, not in rough logs.
"We hope that the new Code will make the motives clear for investors. Such is the aim of the amendments in the legislation, and of the trade and tariffs policy," the Russian minister added.
On April 22, the State Duma adopted in the first reading the new wording of the Forest Code of the Russian Federation. The Code regulates the use of forest as natural territories, inseparably linked with lands, and also lands taken up by forest, and the right of forest use and disposal.
The Code determines the composition of the forest lands, their groups and categories of protectiveness and also the rules of transferring the forest lands into the lands of other categories.
Under this Code, forest lands may be owned by the state, municipal entities, legal entities and private persons.
The Code says that the turnover of forest lands may be carried out on the basis of a lease treaty. This treaty may be concluded for a term of up to one year, or for a term from 10 to 99 years. The lease treaty is concluded according to the results of an open auction.
