The delegation from Romania included Rusu Liviu Oktavian, the mayor of Ayud, and Vzlyan Gligor, member of the city government, deputy general director of Metalurgica.
   During their visit to Severstal the Romanians will meet with Anantoly Kruchinin, executive director of Severstal, and hold negotiations dealing in particular with further equipment purchases.
   Cherepovets Steel Mill has had a relationship with Romania for years. In particularly, Severstal cooperated with Metalexportimport trading company, through which it purchased equipment for converter, cold rolling shop, and sheet rolling plants #1 and #2. This equipment was produced by five Romanian machine-building and steel-making companies. Severstal annually signs contracts with Romanian partners for the total value of US $ 2 million.
   The Romanian producers of equipment include the steel mill Metalurgica, which produces highly durable rollers for roll-tables of sheet rolling mills. In the last three years Severstal has been a priority customer for Metallurgica, which in turn has taken place of several small suppliers of Severstal in the CIS, particularly in Kazakhstan. Metallurgica is able to provide better value for money. This and the fact that it uses the most advanced technology accounts for a 30% share of the overall contracts value with Romania, which Severstal signs for with Metallurgica.
   Metallurgica and Severstal are key companies for their respective cities, which explains why representatives of legislative and executive bodies of the government of the city of Ayud are interested in strengthening ties with Cherepovets and increasing sales to Severstal.