OREANDA-NEWS. October 31, 2012.   Dmitry Medvedev’s opening address:

Today we are holding a regular meeting of the Supervisory Board. I’d like to say a few words to begin. Our agenda is extensive – we have more than 20 items on it. We’ll discuss topics associated with funding infrastructure, construction of Olympic facilities, lending to small and medium-sized enterprises and promotion of high-tech exports of Russian companies. Before discussing our agenda items, I’d like to make one more important point – VEB has raised 20 billion rubles on the Russian bond market. As I see it, this successful bond placement has generated foreign investors’ strong interest– their share in this transaction amounted almost to a quarter. I hope that this testifies to their confidence in our bond market and the Bank itself. This is a considerable accomplishment.

Now I’d like to move to the aircraft industry, which is a priority of our Government’s policy. This October, amendments have been introduced to the Rules for extending subsidies to Russian manufacturers of aircraft, helicopters and aircraft engines, as part of reimbursing them for expenses on loans received for technical re-equipment and leasing payments for technological equipment. In this respect, I have signed a relevant resolution. This will help raise long-term loans for the industry, and implement projects to create new aircraft. At the same time, we of course should promote our aircraft to foreign markets, using all available instruments, including credits to customers and insurance of exports.

Today we must take a decision on funding international sales of the Sukhoi Superjet-100, or to be more precise loans worth a total of up to 2.5 billion dollars to foreign buyers of these airliners. I’d like to stress that this is very important, although such transactions should be conducted on a case-to-case basis. Our goal is to increase sales of these aircraft in the foreign market using mechanisms that our country received by joining the WTO.

There is one more issue concerning promotion of our high-tech products to world markets. Vnesheconombank has set up an Export Credit Insurance Agency of Russia (EXIAR), it helps our exporters to tap new markets. We have ambitious objectives – by 2014, the amount of support to be provided should reach about 500 billion rubles and the share of insured non-primary exports should grow from the current 1% to 10%. We need mechanisms for protecting exporters against risks associated with foreign economic activities and we also need more flexible terms of funding export transactions. Two measures are being proposed in this respect. First, we must discuss an issue of extending long-term government-backed guarantees in the amount of up to USD 10 billion by Vnesheconombank to EXIAR. Second, we must review options for supporting high-tech exports, as suggested by the National Business Initiative. This deals with Vnesheconombank’s and EXIAR’s funding of export supplies and investment projects being implemented by Russian companies abroad.

One more important issue that we have been discussing for the last few months and with respect to which I conducted a special meeting is Vnesheconombank’s participation in the development of the Far East and the Baikal region. Last year, JSC the Far East and the Baikal Region Development Fund was established to encourage cooperation with regional authorities, major financial institutions, funds, investment companies and naturally private companies. There are a lot of business ideas in the Far East in such areas as fuel-and-energy complex, smelting industry, timber and fishing industries and infrastructure. They have prepared a whole booklet on this subject. The Fund selects projects that can be carried out on the terms of co-financing. We must primarily invest in the most effective projects with a higher level of preparation. Today, we’ll discuss an allocation of 15 billion rubles from the federal budget through VEB’s capitalization to the charter capital of the said Fund. But this is only the first step. In the future, we’ll probably provide other funds to it, and some of the new projects in the Far East will be carried out this year and next year under other programs. According to our current preliminary estimate, total funding will exceed 100 billion rubles.

Now I’d like to say a few words about lending to small and medium-sized enterprises. I’ll remind you that under VEB’s strategy, this support is to amount 150 billion rubles by the end of 2015. The Bank is cooperating with international financial institutions in this line of activity. It is establishing an international fund to support business with German partners and has already invested a significant sum of USD 150 million in this project. The Bank’s partners have committed the same amount of money. The most important thing is that the fund gives top priority to long-term lending to industrial enterprises and this is particularly important for us. We’ll also discuss modernization of energy infrastructure – the agenda includes a number of items on this subject. Here I mean extending loans to loans to TGK-9 for the construction of the new Bereznikovskaya combined heat and power station in the Perm Territory and the Nizhneturinskaya GRES power plant in the Sverdlovsk region. These are long-term projects and their payback period exceeds or amount to about 10 years. Their implementation will make it possible to meet demands for heat and electricity in the regions, not only today but also in the near future, and will create conditions for the comprehensive development of the relevant territories regions.

There are also other items on our extensive agenda. Let’s get to work.

Vnesheconombank Chairman Vladimir Dmitriev holds a news conference following a meeting of the Bank’s Supervisory Board

Transcript:

Vladimir Dmitriev: More than twenty issues were discussed at the Vnesheconombank (VEB) Supervisory Board meeting, including issues related to forming a comprehensive system to support high-tech Russian exports with respect to specific projects. We also discussed sales of Sukhoi-Superjet and the first shipment of 11 jetliners under a loan arrangement which will include VEB resources, Export Insurance Agency of Russia (EXIAR) insurance support and VEB-Leasing. We agreed upon main parameters of this transaction. Given Russia's accession to the WTO and OECD best practices, a decision was taken to create a comprehensive system to support high-tech exports based on the business experience gained from selling the Sukhoi-Superjet to third countries.

A decision was also taken to improve cooperation between VEB subsidiaries, that is, VEB proper, the Export Insurance Agency of Russia, Roseximbank and VEB-Leasing – with the participation of relevant federal executive bodies, including those responsible for Russian industrial exports and high-tech products. What this means is creating a system of cooperation and a system of submitting relevant procedures for such cooperation to the Supervisory Board when considering issues related to supporting industrial exports. We plan to submit these procedures within a month. Under these procedures, upon considering specific applications for industrial export support, VEB jointly with its subsidiaries and executive bodies is to take relevant decisions within two months. Some additions will be introduced to Roseximbank's (Russian Export- Import Bank) operation, so that this VEB’s subsidiary can finance supplies of high-tech products manufactured by enterprises classified as small and medium-sized (primarily medium-sized) enterprises..

In addition, we have discussed the system of bank guarantees extended by VEB to the Export Insurance Agency of Russia (EXIAR). The federal budget allows for USD 10 billion to this end. VEB will be responsible for extending the greater part of guarantee support to EXIAR.

Besides these issues, we have discussed the establishment of a special fund to support medium-sized enterprises in Russia with the leading foreign national development institution KfW (Kreditanstalt fьr Wiederaufbau). VEB and KfW intend to invest USD 150 million each in this fund. We realistically believe that such foreign development institutions as the European Investment Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and some foreign funds can participate in a fund to support small and medium-sized enterprises in Russia that is being created. This support will be provided by acquiring stakes in small and medium-sized enterprises. But this is not the only form of support for small and medium-sized enterprises in Russia. As you know, there is a program of extending KfW loans to some Russian banks with VEB’s guarantee support for those regional banks that work with small and medium-sized enterprises.

We also have a program to support small and medium-sized enterprises in the North-West Federal District. Thus, in our view, we are forming a pretty attractive system of supporting small and medium-sized enterprises in terms of funding amounts and financial conditions. In addition, we also considered some specific VEB investment projects at the meeting. These include projects on energy infrastructure and financing the construction and modernization of two large stations, the Bereznikovskaya Thermal Power Station and some projects in the Urals. We have discussed some technical changes with respect to funding Olympic facilities, that is, Krasnaya Polyana, Roza Khutor, and the construction of a hotel accommodating 400 people, which is being implemented by the Mostovik Company.

Besides, we discussed some projects to support the defense industrial complex. Here we mean making significant investments in and providing guarantee support for some defense enterprises by VEB.

We have also reviewed the current system to support investment projects in the Chechen Republic: we have discussed the projects that will receive VEB loans guarantees, without federal budget guarantees. In such cases, security will be provided in the form of funds extended by the federal budget for creating a special guarantee fund for the Chechen Republic. Currently, it amounts to some 2 billion rubles, and this makes it possible to extend credits to fund some projects in the Chechen Republic with guarantees granted by this fund. Currently, we are actively working on about six projects in agriculture and related industries, logistics, construction materials, transport and energy infrastructure. To summarize, in the short term, the new system will enable us to fund a whole number of projects. 

These are the main conclusions of today’s Supervisory Board meeting.

Question: Could you elaborate on the deal involving those 11 Superjets 100, who are the buyers, what are the supply periods what financial institutions are involved?

Vladimir Dmitriev: The buyers are companies with which Sukhoi-Superjet has firm commitments. Jointly with the Ministry of Economic Development we have worked out main loan terms, making it possible to maintain competitive rates and thereby ensure sales of these jets to other countries. What is important here? Since the production of these aircraft involves international cooperation and major components and engines are manufactured in cooperation with French and Italian partners, export insurance agencies of relevant countries participate in promoting these jets abroad. These agencies include COFACE in France and SACHE Group in Italy. We’ll have to review the agreement that VEB had been signed earlier with these agencies because the Export Insurance Agency of Russia becomes their full partner. Under the current agreement, VEB will be replaced by the Export Insurance Agency of Russia. As far as bank guarantees for EXIAR are concerned, they will apply not only to high-tech exports but also to Russian investments in third countries. Other specific terms of the transaction constitute a commercial secret, so I will not comment on them.

Question: What countries will buy these 11 jets? Who is the buyer?

Vladimir Dmitriev:  I have hinted these are the countries and the companies with firm contractual commitments with Sukhoi-Superjet.

Question: Is USD 2.5 billion the amount being extended?

Vladimir Dmitriev:  Yes, up to USD 2.5 billion.

Question: Could you say what funds are being made available for those two thermal power stations?

Vladimir Dmitriev: If I’m not mistaken, VEB is providing 11 billion for the first project, and 15 billion for the second project.

Question: Rubles?

Vladimir Dmitriev: Rubles.

Question: What are the terms?

Vladimir Dmitriev: These terms are acceptable terms for the borrower. That is a long-term loan extended for over 10 years.

Question: And what funds will VEB extend to defense enterprises?

Vladimir Dmitriev: Over 20 billion rubles.

Question: Mr Dmitriev, can you say whether the state corporation is considering the possibility of extending loans to Rosneft to fund a transaction on acquiring TNK-BP?

Vladimir Dmitriev: No. Thank you.