KHUJAND, October 27, 2011, Asia-Plus  -- A group of entrepreneurs from Russia’s Sverdlovsk oblast will visit Tajik northern Sughd province from October 29 to October 30.

The purpose of the visit is for the Russian delegation to get acquainted with activities of the SUGHD Free Economic Zone (FEZ), Khosiyat Komilova, a spokeswoman for FEZ SUGHD, said.

“The Russian delegation members will include senior representatives of the holding companies such as AES Group, Ostrov, Stroytekhnologiya 200, and Foratek,” Komilova noted.

On October 29, Russian entrepreneurs will hold talks with FEZ SUGHD administration and visit enterprises operating in FEZ SUGHD.  On October 30, the sides will discuss priorities of cooperation as well as preparation and singing of cooperation documents, the spokeswoman noted.

16 enterprises, both domestic companies and joint ventures, now operate in FEZ SUGHD and a total volume of declared investments of these enterprises amount to 50 million U.S. dollars.

Sverdlovsk oblast is a federal subject (an oblast) of Russia located in the Urals Federal District.  Its administrative center is the city of Yekaterinburg formerly known as Sverdlovsk.

The oblast''s industry is diverse although could be more modern. 12% of Russia''s iron and steel industry is still concentrated in Sverdlovsk oblast. Iron and copper are mined and processed here and the logging industry and wood-processing are important, too.  Yekaterinburg is a prominent road, rail and air hub in the Urals region.