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Deputy Prime Minister Asks for McDonald's in Far East

First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov said at an event with foreign executives on Wednesday that he wants to see golden arches go up over Vladivostok.

"In Vladivostok there is no McDonald's, and I would like one opened," Shuvalov said, Vedomosti reported.

He said the government is investing in the development of the Far East but that it still lacks certain indicators of a developed market.

Shuvalov made the comments at a meeting with managers from Coca-Cola, McDonald's, Hyundai and other companies to sign sponsorship agreements for the 2013 World University Summer Games to be held in Kazan.

McDonald's Vice President Viktor Eidemiller, present at the meeting, said there were logistical problems with working in the Far East. He said McDonald's plans to develop its logistics in Western Siberia and then expand eastward. The Siberian city of Tyumen is currently home to the easternmost McDonalds in the country.

Shuvalov warned that if the fast-food giant moved forward too slowly, other players could enter and dominate the market. Shuvalov said he had already sent representatives to McDonald's head office and that he would use "every available means to convince McDonald's to open a restaurant in Vladivostok."

In addition to preparing for the student games in Kazan, the deputy prime minister is also working to organize the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference to be held in Vladivostok in September.

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