OREANDA-NEWS. A work meeting was held in Bratsk between Zakhar D. Smushkin, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ilim Group, and Sergey V. Eroschenko, Governor of the Irkutsk Oblast.

During the meeting they discussed the current situation at Ilim Group, status of ramp-up of the new fiberline in Bratsk, and Ilim's development plans, including a scenario to retain containerboard production in Bratsk. "This option will allow us to increase the output of our Bratsk Mill by 200 thousand tons but will require more timberland available since we'll need about 1 million cubic meters of wood", commented Zakhar D. Smushkin.

In the course of this meeting Zakhar D. Smushkin and Sergey V. Eroschenko also gave consideration to the transport situation in Ust-Ilimsk and in particular to the matter of construction of an airport and road maintenance issues.

One of the most important aspects of the dialogue was a discussion regarding implementation of social projects in the Irkutsk Oblast under the existing agreement on social and economic cooperation between the Government of the Irkutsk Oblast and OJSC Ilim Group. According to Zakhar D. Smushkin, this year the Company has allocated RUB 154 million to support social programs implemented in the Irkutsk Oblast.

Irkutsk Oblast Governor Sergey V. Eroschenko and Ilim Chairman Zakhar D. Smushkin also discussed the ways to improve the investment appeal of the region. The governor confirmed the plans regarding the contract with China to be largely implemented in the Irkutsk Oblast.

"This is a very positive trend for the region since it will lead to greater investment activity", commented Zakhar D. Smushkin.

"Close cooperation in economic and social fields and implementation of joint social projects help to strengthen the relationships between the government and business and lay the new foundations for further fruitful cooperation", said Sergey V. Eroschenko.