Transcript of the beginning of the meeting:  

Dmitry Medvedev: First, let’s discuss the manufacture of railway tracks. We have looked around. This is a very good investment project. This facility has received over 18 billion roubles of investment. The end result is, in effect, a new facility turning out railway tracks and girders, which enables the manufacture of tracks for high-speed railways. These are Space Age technologies. But what is very important is that production is being modernised, and associated with that is the creation of high-tech jobs. This is because we are interested in creating as many modern jobs as possible, and we are also interested in paying decent wages. This is of course a major problem for Novokuznetsk. We have assessed other jobs  - in the tourism industry. I believe that this sector is alive and there is a sense that new production facilities are being established. We have just visited another new production facility, which employs just 300 workers, but, still, 300 jobs is pretty good. On the whole, salaries are decent. So I just wanted to discuss the situation about creating jobs and the conversion of old workplaces into cost-effective high-performance workplaces with you.

Aman Tuleyev: Mr Medvedev, first of all, I would like to thank you on behalf of all Kuzbass residents. Secondly, I find it very easy to talk to you because you have already memorised Kuzbass technologies in verse.  

We recently went down into the Listvyazhnaya mine, which is among the largest mines. You remember this. I kept my word after you left, and we opened the Yerunakovo-8 mine, which provides coal for the plant where we are right now.  The mine employs 1,300 workers, the technology is exactly the same and the mine which you entered and where you greeted mining-machine operators at a depth of 600 metres even produces the same type of coal.

Mr Medvedev, we have already walked 1,300 m at this enterprise ... We are pursuing this dream to accomplish this objective because only the United States and Japan produce these rails. Russia is now the third country to master this production process. We need to manufacture 1 million tonnes of rails.

Dmitry Medvedev: Even more.

Aman Tuleyev: Yes, more, we plan to manufacture about 1.2 million tonnes for the CIS countries and for the domestic market. But these rails are beautiful. They have rolled 100 m rails in your presence …   

Dmitry Medvedev: Yes, it does look impressive.

Aman Tuleyev: First, we started making 12.5m rails. Then we made 25m, 50m and 100m rails, and we can now make all this ... We created around 500 additional jobs after launching the track manufacturing project. Each worker will receive about 40,000 roubles. At any rate, we are going all out to accomplish this objective. And we will solve the problem of rails in Russia. We will not buy rails from Japan or anywhere else …

Dmitry Medvedev: It would simply be incorrect to buy them. Russia is the largest country in terms of territory.

Aman Tuleyev: Mr Medvedev, I recall our conversation during your previous visit. You told me that instead of merely establishing a production facility I should build a facility which would prove cost-effective for the entire country. Bearing this in mind, we built three railway carriage factories, because the Kuzbass coal basin loads 8,500-9,000 open wagons a day. And I remember you told me that instead of shuttling back and forth I should build them here … We have shown you. This facility currently employs 300 highly-skilled workers. You have seen what kind of railway carriages are being assembled here. And we were the first to start manufacturing railway carriages with a freight capacity of 75 tonnes, rather than self-propelled cars with a freight capacity of 60 tonnes. We were the first in this respect.

Dmitry Medvedev: This is a good and modern railway carriage. Incidentally, it has a nice wheelbase.

Aman Tuleyev: Yes, and we will create 600 more jobs at that plant before the year is out. As I promised you, we have built a petro-chemical plant in the north of the region, which will produce three million. So, it turns out that open wagons will be manufactured here, and the coal, as well as petroleum, oil and lubricants, will be produced here. The production process and jobs also fit in nicely. And the region will thrive.

Dmitry Medvedev: We also need to provide leisure opportunities for people. In this sense, what we saw yesterday … It's a nice resort … This is precisely our own, Siberian, resort. You don’t have to travel far. And new jobs are also available.

Aman Tuleyev: In all, 380,000 people will relax there this year. And 5,000 jobs have been created. Mr Medvedev, these are all your recommendations to develop the other section of the slope … I promise you that I must accomplish this in 18 months. This will make it possible to create about 3,500 jobs in that area. But, as you have already seen, this amounts to the top-level service sector.

Mr Medvedev, this working trip has lasted almost two days, and I have briefed you on many issues. Thank you very much for resolving them on the spot, especially there in the tourism sector. Thank you.

Dmitry Medvedev: I expect to receive another document from you later on, as we agreed.

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