Alexei Mordahov, Severstal's Chairman of the Board of Directors, noted that Severstal's cooperation with Germany is one of the traditional and priority lines of business for Severstal.

First of all, Germany is one of the largest buyers of our products. Severstal has been working successfully with Ekostahl for a number of years. Last year it shipped 30,000 tonnes of hot rolled steel and 20,000 tonnes of slab to Ekostahl for rerolling.

In April 2000, Severstal and Ekostahl (Mordahov-Dering) signed an agreement to train Severstal's employees in various Ecostahl's units. Over the last two years 30 Severstal's employees were trained at Ekostahl, including young and promising managers.

Besides that, Severstal was always satisfied with German suppliers, such as Siemens. Karelsky Okatysh, of Severstal-group's raw materials division, supplies German steel makers with iron pellets.

Severstal is interested in personnel training in German companies, and its automotive division could benefit from partnerships with German companies.

Alexei Mordashov noted that the visit of the delegation of the Northwestern region of Russia to Germany was aimed at attracting German investment.