Main Topic
Meeting of Russian-Chinese Business Council at Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry
    22.03.2024

    President of Chamber Sergei Katyrin met with Deputy Prime Minister of Republic of Cuba Ricardo Cabrisas

    The Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry attaches great importance to the development of trade and economic cooperation with the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, and Cuba occupies one of the most central places in this area. This was stated on March 21 by the President of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Sergei Katyrin during a meeting with the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Cuba Ricardo Cabrisas. According to the head of the Chamber, we have traditionally had close cooperation with the Cuban Chamber of Commerce for almost 20 years. “We continue intensive joint work with our colleagues,” said Mr. Katyrin, welcoming the Cuban guest. He noted that in general, despite the relatively good dynamics of trade between our countries, there is significant potential for its development. At the same time, the issue of increasing the volume of export-import operations directly depends on solving existing logistical difficulties and issues of making payments under commercial contracts. This is largely facilitated by intergovernmental dialogue, primarily through the intergovernmental commission, the next 21st meeting of which was held in Moscow on March 15, 2024.According to Mr.Katyrin, cooperation in the field of tourism traditionally remains close. “At the same time, we still have to work on expanding cooperation in such industries as energy, pharmaceuticals and medicine, transport, construction, as well as in the banking sector,” emphasized the head of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. “We hope that a number of decisions taken by the Cuban Government to create preferential conditions for potential Russian investors will facilitate the implementation of joint industrial and investment projects,” he said.Sergei Katyrin emphasized the importance of developing Russian-Cuban cooperation at the regional level. He recalled that a number of agreements have been concluded both by the administrations of Russian regions and individual provinces of Cuba, and between the Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Such documents were signed by the Republic of Bashkortostan, Moscow, Orenburg and Yaroslavl regions, and Nizhny Novgorod. We organize work throughout the Russian Federation, and it is possible to maintain contacts in all regions. Mr.Katyrin also said that the Chamber of Commerce and Industry has foreign representative offices in 40 countries and 76 business councils, including with Cuba.“We are glad to see our Cuban colleagues at our exhibitions at the EXPOCENTER,” he said. “This is also an opportunity to look at what Russian manufacturers are doing,” he emphasized, noting that exhibitions at the EXPOCENTER could be a good opportunity to present the projects that Cuba will offer to Russian investors.Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Cuba Ricardo Cabrisas noted that the meetings held in Moscow were an opportunity to talk about the new circumstances in which Russia lives and in which Cuba lives. According to him, we should look for new approaches for entrepreneurs to find more effective ways to implement our cooperation. He also said that the Cuban Chamber of Commerce and Industry is constantly working in this direction. As a result of the work of the intergovernmental commission held in Moscow, four intergovernmental agreements were signed on additional incentives for Russian entrepreneurs to invest in Cuba. He called for filling the signed documents with real content and restoring a climate of trust between our countries.According to Ricardo Cabrisas, the government of the Republic of Cuba “made a sovereign decision to open the gates to foreign investors and, above all, Russian ones.” A “road map” for the implementation of framework agreements has been developed, a program of bilateral trade cooperation makes it possible to track the areas that countries have identified as fundamental, the representative of the government of the Republic of Cuba emphasized. He noted the efforts of the Russian government to explain to entrepreneurs the new conditions in Cuba.“We can take into account the past positive experience that has been accumulated since the ancient times of the Soviet Union, but there are also new circumstances that cannot be ignored and work with new approaches,” said Ricardo Cabrisas.He drew attention to the need to see and take into account each other's problems. According to him, the introduction of sanctions against Russia turned out to be a boomerang against those who introduced them - Russia survived and confirmed that it has a strong economy and emerged from the situation with good GDP indicators.A representative of the Cuban government invited the head of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Sergei Katyrin, to visit the Republic of Cuba.The meeting was attended by Vice-President of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Vladimir Padalko, Director of the Department of Project and Investment Activities Elena Medvedeva, Deputy Director of the Department of External Relations of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Ilya Nesterov, Deputy Chairman of the Russia-Cuba Business Council, General Director of NC SESLA Tatyana Mashkova, Ambassador of the Republic of Cuba to Russian Federation H.P. Julio Antonio Garmendia Peña. By Peter Cheremushkin, Chamber Press Office 
    20.03.2024

    Delegation of Turkish Buisiness from Antalya Region Visited Chamber

    The issues of bilateral cooperation between the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Antalya region (Turkey) were discussed at the meeting of the Vice President of the Chamber of Russia Vadim Chubarov with the Turkish delegation. The meeting took place on March 19 at the Chamber.   The Vice President of the Chamber thanked the guests from Turkey for the visit, which is another confirmation of the high dynamics of bilateral contacts with Turkey. “The doors of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry are always open to our Turkish friends,” he emphasized. According to Vadim Chubarov, the development of Russian-Turkish cooperation still maintains high momentum. The Vice President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry drew the attention of Turkish entrepreneurs to the need to interact with regional chambers, such as the Moscow Regional, Republic of Tatarstan, Ural, Rostov and Lipetsk, which express great interest in cooperation. The Vice President of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry also noted that Turkish entrepreneurs are participating in exhibition and fair activities at Expocentre. “This was confirmed by the Prodexpo exhibition held in February, where Turkey and China had separate pavilions,” he recalled. At the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, V. Chubarov said, with the active assistance of the Turkish Embassy in Moscow and the Russian-Turkish Business Council, meetings are held on a regular basis, including during visits of delegations of Turkish partner organizations to raise awareness among representatives of the business circles of our countries about opportunities in the field trade and economic cooperation. V. Chubarov called the Russian-Turkish Business Council one of the most active within the Chamber. Vice President of the Antalya Chamber of Commerce and Industry Bogacan Göksu noted that after Istanbul, his city has the most developed network of international relations and is the most important for Russian-Turkish relations, where more than 50 thousand Russians live and many companies with Russian capital operate. According to him, the Antalya Chamber of Commerce and Industry is the oldest in Turkey, but Turkish business today is known not only for tourism and agricultural production: medical tourism indicators are growing, new industrial zones are being built. “We are very motivated to cooperate and develop our relations,” Bogacan Goksu emphasized. Representatives of the Turkish side noted that the economy of Antalya has opportunities for investment in the construction sector and the production of materials for the construction industry. In the industrial zone of Antalya there are companies that produce furniture and fertilizers. Antalya Technology Development Center can provide facilities to give impetus to the development of innovative technologies. “We count on your understanding that Turkey not only provides opportunities to enter the markets of third countries, but is also a large market in itself,” the Turkish guests said. Commercial Counselor of the Embassy of the Turkish Republic in Moscow Omer Kerman expressed interest in developing cooperation with Expocentre, which will increase the presence of Turkish companies at the numerous exhibitions held by this organization. He also invited Russian companies to participate in exhibitions held in Antalya and other Turkish regions. Elena Medvedeva, Director of the Department of Project and Investment Activities of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, who participated in the meeting, showed interest in the new industrial zones being created in Antalya and expressed confidence in the development of cooperation in finding partners for member organizations of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. She invited representatives of the Turkish side to actively participate in exhibitions held by Expocentre. General Director of the Russian-Turkish Business Council Alexey Egarmin noted that the Council is involved in disseminating information about the opportunities provided by Turkish markets for the regions of the Russian Federation. In particular, the regions of Siberia, the Far East, and the North are actively using this. 18 direct agreements were signed with trade unions in Turkey. In this regard, he expressed his readiness to sign a separate agreement with the Antalya Chamber of Commerce and Industry. According to Alexey Egarmin, the work of the Business Council is not only the development of business relations, but cooperation in the field of culture, education and sports. By Peter Cheremushkin, Press Service of the Russian Chamber of Commerce
    13.03.2024

    Sergey Katyrin: the creation of a unified digital infrastructure will be one of the priorities of the BRICS Business Council

    The first meeting of the BRICS Business Council took place on March 12 via video conference. It was attended by the President of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Sergei Katyrin, who heads the BRICS Business Council in the year of Russia's chairmanship, as well as leaders and representatives of national parts of other states - Busi Mabutsa (South Africa), Daniel Godinho (Brazil), Anshuman Hannah (India), Yang Song ( China).In his speech, Sergei Katyrin noted that five new states have been taking full part in BRICS since the beginning of the year - the UAE, Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia.“I would like to emphasize that we sincerely welcome the entry of new member countries into the association. I am confident that BRICS, with its new, expanded composition, will in the very near future acquire even greater weight in the global economic arena. According to experts, the BRICS countries will provide almost 40% of global GDP by 2028, and this is a very serious figure,” he noted.Sergei Katyrin reported that the Egyptian side has appointed the chairman of the national part of the BRICS Business Council. This is the President of the Federation of Egyptian Chambers of Commerce, Mr. Ahmed Alouakil. Representatives of the diplomatic missions of these states accredited in Moscow agreed to participate in today’s meeting from other new member countries, he specified.The Chairman of the BRICS BC highlighted the main priorities of the formation’s work for the current year. Firstly, this is the creation of a “seamless” transport and logistics infrastructure within the association, improving communications and modern logistics schemes, including through the development of the railway network. Secondly, the creation of a sustainable system of financial settlements, payment services and a mechanism for compiling BRICS credit ratings, as well as the development of cooperation in insurance markets. Thirdly, the creation of a unified digital infrastructure, as well as cooperation in such an important and relevant area today as artificial intelligence.Also, traditionally, joint work will continue in the fields of agriculture, energy, and professional training.Separately, Sergei Katyrin focused on proposals for reorganizing the structure of some working groups, expanding and deepening their work agenda. All these proposals were previously broadcast through the secretariats of the national parts of the BRICS BC.He thanked his colleagues for supporting the proposal to create a subgroup on transport and logistics within the working group on infrastructure. Also, according to him, a unanimous decision was made regarding the renaming of the working group on professional training. Now it is a working group on professional training, applied technologies and innovation.“For individual groups, we see the need to expand their agenda. Today, artificial intelligence is used in almost all areas of the economy. Ethical and regulatory issues arise in this area. In this regard, we propose to include issues of cooperation in the field of development of artificial intelligence on the agenda of the Working Group on the Digital Economy and accordingly change the name of the “Working Group on the Digital Economy and Development of Artificial Intelligence”. Also, due to the high relevance of the climate agenda, we propose to include “climate” in the agenda of the Working Group on Energy and Green Economy and rename it accordingly,” said Sergei Katyrin.He drew the attention of the participants to the working group on small aviation, which during its work did not receive the expected development. One of the possible and most logical options for reorganizing this group is its merger with the Working Group on Industry, the head of the RF CCI indicated.“Taking into account that for several years now investment issues have been on the agenda of the Working Group on Financial Services, we propose to rename it the “WG on Financial Services and Investments”, and the working group on Trade and Investment to the “WG on Interbank Cooperation, Trade and international cooperation,” he added.Sergei Katyrin also spoke about the proposed BRICS BC events, which will be held in person.Among them is the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, which will take place from June 5 to 8. This year it will be opened by a large-scale forum called “BRICS Partnership for Development”.In September, Moscow will host the final stage of the Annual Competition of the Best BRICS Practices in the Field of Sustainable Development (BRICS Solutions Awards) and the awarding of the winners.Key events will take place on October 17-18 in Moscow at the World Trade Center. Namely, the final meetings of the working groups and the annual meeting of the BRICS Business Council (October 17). The BRICS Business Forum is scheduled for October 18.The culmination of the agenda will be a meeting of members of the BRICS Business Council with the heads of BRICS member states on October 22 in Kazan. During the meeting, presentations were made by representatives of the working groups of the Russian part of the BRICS BC: Sergey Pavlov (WG on infrastructure, subgroup on transport and logistics), Valery Belyakov (WG on financial services and investments), Sergey Storchak (WG on interbank cooperation, trade and international cooperation), Alexey Ivanov (WG on industrial cooperation), Andrey Neznamov (WG on digital economy and artificial intelligence), Andrey Sapozhnikov (WG on energy, green economy and climate), Vladimir Nosov (WG on agriculture (agribusiness), Alina Doskanova (WG on professional training, applied technologies and innovations).The next meeting of the BRICS Business Council will be held in June.                                                                                                                    By Nail Shakhvaliyev
    11.03.2024

    A webinar of Russian-Omani Business Council at Chamber of Commerce and Industry

    The problems of bilateral investments were discussed at the meeting of the Russian-Omani Business Council, where the Ambassador of the Sultanate of Oman Hamoud Salim Abdullah Al Tuwaikh took part. Representatives from more than 40 Russian regions took part in the meeting, held in the Small Hall of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and held via video conference. The meeting was opened by Alexey Rubtsov, Chairman of the Russian-Oman Business Council at the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, who spoke about the formation of the project portfolioAll-Russian program “Project Factory - Focus Oman”. The head of the Council said that events of the Council and the Russian Export Center are held on an ongoing basis in an online format with Omani partners, in which more than 300 Russian companies from 56 regions took part. Alexey Rubtsov noted the positive dynamics of cooperation with Oman and reported that the volume of trade turnover in 2023 significantly exceeded the figures for 2022. In the structure of exports, he highlighted areas that showed good dynamics: mineral products and food products, pearls and precious metals, which showed significant growth. The main Russian imports are machinery and equipment, he said. Direct investments from Russia to Oman amount to $90 million. In this regard, he called the main task of the Council the promotion of mutual investment projects in various fields. The Ambassador of the Sultanate of Oman, Hamud Salim Abdullah Al Tuwaikh, presented his country's investment opportunities, highlighting, first of all, the sphere of high technology, digital security and the semiconductor industry, as well as infrastructure projects. The Ambassador of Oman noted that the government of his country strives to create the most simplified conditions for investors. According to the ambassador, Oman has the most dynamic investment environment in the Gulf countries. He called free economic zones especially attractive for investors. The head of the diplomatic mission invited Russian companies to invest in Oman. Vice-President of the Russian Export Center Roman Genkel spoke about the peculiarities of interaction with the regional export support infrastructure to promote Russian business to the Oman market. The Sultanate of Oman is one of the promising and important partners of the Russian Federation, as evidenced by the growth in trade turnover between Oman and Russia. Confirmation of the importance of Russian-Omani relations was the invitation of Oman as a guest country to SPIEF-2024. The most promising areas of cooperation are energy and tourism, which is facilitated by the presence of direct flights between the two countries, as well as the fact that in 2023 Russia and Oman entered into an agreement on the avoidance of double taxation, which further strengthened trade ties between the companies. By Peter Cheremushkin,Press Service of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry
    07.03.2024

    Vice President of the Chamber Vladimir Padalko Spoke at Round Table on Foreign Trade Between North Caucasus Federal District and Azerbaijan

    On February 28, Vice President of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Vladimir Padalko spoke at the round table “Modern features of foreign trade operations of exporters of the North Caucasus Federal District of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Azerbaijan.” The event took place at the initiative of the Russian Chamber as part of the program of the 12th Russian-Azerbaijani Interregional Forum at the Minvody EXPO exhibition center. The speech of Mr. Padalko was devoted to the practical content of bilateral trade between Russia and Azerbaijan. According to him, in 2023 the Russian Federation topped the ranking of countries supplying goods to Azerbaijan. Deliveries of Russian products to Azerbaijan for 2022-2023. increased by 15.6% to $3.1 billion. As a result, Russian goods accounted for more than 18% of the republic’s total imports. The structure of Russian exports to Azerbaijan is mainly formed by grains, wood products, ferrous metals, food products, paper and cardboard, as well as equipment and vehicles, fuel and petroleum products. The leaders in export supplies to the republic in 2023 were enterprises from Moscow, Stavropol Territory, Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod regions. Analyzing the prospects for bilateral trade, Vladimir Padalko said that Russia is the main importer of non-oil (including fruits and vegetables) products from Azerbaijan: our country accounts for 33% of this type of export. In 2023, Azerbaijan's non-oil exports increased by 9.8% compared to last year and amounted to $3.3 billion. This is a record figure in the entire history of observations. Given that the Azerbaijani economy faces the challenge of increasing non-oil production and exports, and Russia is the main market for non-oil goods, it is expected that the countries' trade turnover, in particular the export of Azerbaijani goods to Russia, will continue to grow. Among the successful projects already implemented are the activities of Agroexpress, improved transport and logistics infrastructure, new tourist routes, cooperation projects through KAMAZ and Sollers. The round table participants also discussed the prospects for economic interaction between the Stavropol Territory and the regions of the Republic of Azerbaijan, banking support for foreign trade transactions and transport and logistics issues, as well as humanitarian ties and the successes of economic diplomacy. The moderators of the round table were Maria Suvorovskaya, honorary representative of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Azerbaijan and Yusif Abdullayev, executive director of the Export and Investment Promotion Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan - AZPROMO. On the same day, entrepreneurs and leaders of Russian chambers took part in a business session and plenary session of the forum. The Chamber delegation, the main part of which was made up of entrepreneurs from the Stavropol Territory - 70 people, testifies to significant interest in developing cooperation with Azerbaijan. By Olga Stasyun, Department of External Relations
    19.02.2024

    Sergey Katyrin: “Cooperation Between Russia and Kyrgyz Republic is Developing Dynamically”

    The Kyrgyz Republic maintains its position as a reliable partner of Russia in any situation, noted the President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation Sergey Katyrin, receiving on February 19 a delegation led by the President of the Kyrgyz Chamber of Commerce and Industry Temir Sariev.In 2024, we intend to hold a meeting of the Council of Leaders of the Chambers of the CIS Member States in Moscow on March 27-28, 2024, where we hope to see the delegation of the Kyrgyz Republic, said Mr. Katyrin. According to the head of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, trade turnover at the end of 2023 increased by 5.6 percent and reached $3.6 billion. Sergei Katyrin especially noted mutual participation in exhibitions, for example, PRODEXPO.“We analyzed the number of exhibitors from Kyrgyzstan at this exhibition and found that the largest number of participants was in 2022 (10 companies). This year there were 7 exhibitors from Kyrgyzstan and it seems that there could be significantly more. This time at the stand of Kyrgyzstan we held a special event - a presentation of nuts and nut products from the Jalal-Abad region. A video was dedicated to this topic, which we not only posted in the chamber media, but also sent to 100 regional chambers,” said the President of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, inviting the Kyrgyz side to also take part in the Metalworking exhibition.Sergei Katyrin recalled that national business councils had recently been updated and relaunched. By Peter Cheremushkin, Press Service of the Chamber
    17.02.2024

    Chairman of the BRICS Business Council Sergei Katyrin Held an Orientation with Reps of the Russian Part of the Council

    On February 16, President of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Chairman of the BRICS Business Council Sergei Katyrin held an orientation meeting with representatives of the Russian part of the Council, in which the Russian Federation chairs in 2024. Mr.Katyrin noted that it is necessary to combine efforts as much as possible, to ensure close interaction between official representatives of the Russian Federation in the Business Council and the working groups operating within it. “It is also extremely important that the new member states – the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Ethiopia and Iran – join the work of the BRICS Business Council as quickly as possible,” he emphasized. During the meeting, representatives of the Russian Federation Council shared their work plans on the agenda of the specialized working groups with the aim of developing initiatives that will be presented in the form of an annual report at the meeting of the BRICS heads of state with representatives of the association’s business circles. According to tradition, the meeting is planned to be held “on the sidelines” of the association’s summit in October in Kazan. Vice President of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Vladimir Padalko took part in the meeting. For reference: During the Russian presidency of the BRICS BC, more than 20 different events are planned, the main ones of which are the annual meeting of the BRICS BC and the BRICS Business Forum, which will be held on the eve of the union summit in October.   By Nail Shakhvaliev, Press Service of the Chamber
    16.02.2024

    Sergei Katyrin: Share of the BRICS Countries in the Trade Balance of Russia Increased to Forty Percent

    On February 15, a press conference of the BRICS Business Council and the BRICS Women's Business Alliance was held at the Rossiyskaya Gazeta media center. President of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Sergei Katyrin, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergei Ryabkov, and Chairman of the Russian part of the BRICS Women's Business Alliance Anna Nesterova told participants about the work plan on various tracks for the period of the Russian chairmanship of BRICS in 2024. The year of chairmanship began with the accession of new members to the organization: following the results of the 2023 summit, a decision was made to invite Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the UAE and Saudi Arabia. The head of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the chairman of the Russian part of the BRICS Business Council spoke about the key tasks that the formation faces for the current year.“More than 20 events are planned through the Business Council. In addition, a dozen more events will be held under our patronage. The most important task: to include in the work of the BRICS Business Council, including in the working groups, those countries that joined the association this year,” said Sergei Katyrin.He said that the share of the BRICS countries in the trade balance of the Russian Federation was about 40% in 2023, “and in recent years there has been good growth dynamics: in 2021 this share was at 20%, in 2022 – 30%.”Mr. Katyrin added that now the BRICS countries already conduct 85% of their mutual settlements in national currencies, and the working group on finance of the BRICS Business Council is discussing the issue of settlements in digital units.“We have a digital ruble, the Chinese have a digital yuan. At the last meeting, Brazil and India announced that they were finalizing their digital units. And, naturally, there were wishes not to depend on any third countries in our mutual settlements, to use digital currencies,” he clarified. He also called the issues of regulating credit ratings topical and did not rule out discussing issues related to the safety of using artificial intelligence.Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Sergei Ryabkov noted that BRICS has taken place and has become an integral element of the international architecture and an important link in the formation of a multipolar world. The diplomat also pointed to a new direction for the development of BRICS - the formation of a modality for the category of partner states.“This new model is designed to respond to the growing interest of friendly, like-minded states around the world in developing cooperation with BRICS and rapprochement with this association,” he emphasized.The Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation recalled that the BRICS summit will be held in October in Kazan, and in June there will be a meeting of foreign ministers in Nizhny Novgorod.Chairman of the Russian part of the BRICS Women's Business Alliance, founder of the Palekh Watch manufactory Anna Nesterova announced the events of the BRICS Women's Business Alliance.Representatives of the Alliance also spoke at the event: curator of the working group on healthcare Lyudmila Shcherbakova, curator of the working group on food and environmental security Elena Chashchina, curator of the working group on inclusive economy Galina Volkova.Meetings of the Press Club of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry on BRICS topics are planned to be held monthly. By Nail Shakhvaliev, Press Service of the Chamber
    15.02.2024

    Sri Lanka: Not Tourism and Tea Alone - the President of the Chamber Discussed with Ambassador Mutual Investment Opportunities

    President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation Sergei Katyrin received the Ambassador of Sri Lanka Janita A. Liyanage on February 15 and noted that she is actively working to stimulate business activity between our countries. Sergei Katyrin especially welcomed the cooperation of the diplomatic institution with Russian regional Chambers of Commerce and Industry.In 2022 -2023, Janita A. Liyanage made 15 visits to regional Russian Chambers of Commerce and Industry at the head of small business delegations, including: Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Ivanovo Region, Buryatia, Tatarstan, Chuvashia, Nizhny Novgorod, Kursk. Samara regions.And at the same time, the President of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry noted, the parties “have something to work on so that cooperation is not limited only to tea trade and tourism.” The head of the Chamber called it expedient to hold a presentation of Sri Lanka’s market needs, investment and trade opportunities at the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. In this regard, S. Katyrin proposed holding a presentation of Sri Lanka at the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry via videoconferencing so that representatives of Russian regions could join it.Ambassador of Sri Lanka Janita A. Liyanage introduced the Minister Plenipotentiary of the Embassy, Pandula de Zois, who was appointed as the person responsible for economic interaction between our countries. In his speech, the diplomat expressed hope that in the near future it will be possible to agree on specific steps aimed at stimulating bilateral trade and economic relations. In particular, he noted that it is planned to carry out a broad privatization program in Sri Lanka and invited Russian investors to participate. In the near future, the Sri Lankan Embassy will present specific proposals in this regard. The meeting was attended by Vice President of the Chamber Vladimir Padalko, Director of the Department of External Relations of the Chamber Konstantin Kostin and others. By Peter Cheremushkin, Press Service of the Chamber
    14.02.2024

    Conference at the St. Petersburg Chamber on Opportunities for Cooperation with Tanzania

    On February 12, 2024, the St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry hosted a conference “Russia – Tanzania: opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation” with the participation of the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United Republic of Tanzania to the Russian Federation, Fredrick Ibrahim Kibuta.  Opening the conference, President of the St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry Vladimir Katenev drew attention to the fact that Africa has recently become one of the promising areas for the development of international trade and economic relations for Russia.“The interest in joint projects is mutual, this is confirmed by the Russia-Africa Forum that took place last year for the second time. St. Petersburg is one of the leading cities in rapprochement with African countries: educational institutions allocate quotas for students from the African continent, systematic work is being carried out to promote the Russian language, new honorary consulates and cooperation associations are opening in our city. The St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry also strives to develop trade and economic relations with African countries in general and with the United Republic of Tanzania in particular, and is ready to actively assist in building business communications between entrepreneurs of the two regions in the future,” he added. During the conference, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United Republic of Tanzania to the Russian Federation Fredrick Ibrahim Kibuta introduced participants to the peculiarities of doing business in Tanzania and spoke about investment opportunities in such industries as agriculture, mining and manufacturing, real estate, oil and gas, tourism, pharmaceuticals, mechanical engineering. “Tanzania is one of the TOP 10 fastest growing economies in Africa. Over the past 10 years, the country's economy has grown by an average of 7% per year. Tanzania has already implemented many strategic projects that contribute to the development of both local and foreign companies,” he emphasized in his speech. Chairman of the Committee on Industrial Policy, Innovation and Trade of St. Petersburg Kirill Soloveichik, Deputy Chairman of the Committee on External Relations of St. Petersburg Arbi Abubakarov, and Honorary Consul of Tanzania in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region Valery Gavrilyuk also addressed the participants with welcoming remarks. The meeting was chaired by Vice President of the St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry Ekaterina Lebedeva. More than 100 entrepreneurs from St. Petersburg who were interested in cooperation with Tanzanian partners took part in the conference. Among them are representatives of medium and small businesses interested in exporting their products to Tanzania, and larger enterprises interested in the opportunity to take part in joint projects, representatives of the banking and logistics industries. The meeting ended with a presentation by the director of the Center for Language Testing of St. Petersburg State University, Dmitry Ptyushkin, on the development of educational activities of St. Petersburg State University in the United Republic of Tanzania, as well as a demonstration of photographs of wildlife, culture and life of the peoples of Africa by traveler Artem Shakhnazarov. St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry