OREANDA-NEWS. September 01, 2014. Rosneft President, Chairman of the Management Board Igor Sechin and AVTOVAZ President Bo Inge Andersson signed an Agreement of development of strategic cooperation, which significantly expands the scale of partnership between the companies.

Among other things the document envisages the development, testing and introduction of lubricant materials and other Rosneft oil products required by AVTOVAZ businesses; and the possibility of closing of long-term contracts for the supply of AVTOVAZ production facilities with high-quality lubricant materials and oil products. Such a cooperation configuration will allow AVTOVAZ to optimize the purchasing procedures and curtail production expenditures. In its turn Rosneft will receive a guaranteed distribution channel for its products and a possibility to conduct joint R&D in the sphere of the creation and implementation of modern solutions in the sphere of lubricant materials.

Moreover the Agreement envisages Rosneft sponsorship of the LADA SPORT ROSNEFT auto sports team, therefore the parties are aimed at building on the progress of LADA cars in the world’s and Russian Touring Championships by presenting a joint team at the WTCC (World Touring Car Championship) and Russian Circuit Racing Series starting from the year 2015. At that time LADA SPORT ROSNEFT team on the international competitions will compete on LADA Vesta Sport cars, while Russian events will feature Lada Kalina Sport cars.

Commenting on the signing Igor Sechin said: “Such an agreement with the leader of the Russian car industry opens new perspectives for Rosneft that will allow both boosting the sales and increasing the quality of its products, by receiving and analyzing end-customer feedback. The support of AVTOVAZ racing teams will give a substantial push for the development of Russian auto sport, both on the internal and international scene”.

After the signing AVTOVAZ President Bo Andersson stated: “Racing is a critical part of the new AVTOVAZ. It is about competitions and team work. Today at AVTOVAZ we are all focused on execution of new products and on making LADA customers proud again to drive LADA products. That is why partnership with Rosneft is of major importance for us. Rosneft is one of the strongest oil companies in the world and the strongest in Russia. From now on, AVTOVAZ and Rosneft have new mutual commitments. Together we will achieve new triumphs!”