The World Trade Center on Krasnopresnenskaya Embankment in Moscow hosted the award ceremony for the winners of the Golden Mercury National Entrepreneurship Award for 2021.   The competition among Russian small enterprises and exporting enterprises is annually held by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation. The purpose of the competition is to promote the development of entrepreneurship in Russia, to provide entrepreneurs with the opportunity to present the best samples of products and services, as well as to promote the idea of ​​social responsibility of business, and the development of traditions of domestic entrepreneurship.   The competition was held with the support of the permanent partners of the award - Joint Stock Commercial Bank "International Financial Club" and PJSC "PhosAgro".   Before the ceremony, a meeting of the nominees with the leadership of the Chamber was held, culminating in a press conference with the participation of the President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation Sergey Katyrin, General Director of PJSC International Trade Center Vladimir Strashko, First Deputy Chairman of the Board of the International Financial Club Bank (IFC Bank) ) Anatoly Khvostikov, Marketing and Development Director of PhosAgro PJSC Mikhail Sterkin (IFC Bank and PhosAgro are regular partners of the award. Russian Railways joined them this year). The press conference was moderated by Alexander Shkirando, Director of the Center for Mass Media Relations of the Chamber. Sergei Katyrin, in particular, stressed that when calculating the points, the winners were determined by literally tenths of a percent. This suggests that the winners of the competition are the first among the best. The head of the Chamber briefly spoke about some programs to support and develop business, in particular, family companies. The winners of the competition were awarded the symbols of the "Golden Mercury" - figurines of the ancient Roman god of trade, and the laureates of the competition - special commemorative medals. All of them were awarded diplomas of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation and granted the right to use the emblem of the Golden Mercury competition in their work as an indicator of the high quality of products and services.

To correct the situation, it is necessary to increase the number of hop growers by 50 times, and especially in such regions as Chuvashia, Altai and Krasnodar Krays

The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Kursk Oblast  organized meetings for representatives of Nigeria, CEO of Infinity Synergy Oil and Infinity Homes Jeremiah Oluvasena and CEO of Ryhenz Integrated Ventures Ltd Naji Henry Chinedu.   The visit to the Kursk Region became possible after the meeting of the Deputy Governor Sergei Starodubtsev with the Ambassador of Nigeria to the Russian Federation Abdullahi Shehu, which took place at the end of March 2021 at the initiative of the President of the Chamber of the Kursk Region Alexei Belodurov.   After negotiations with the President of the Regional Chamber, the guests visited the enterprises of NPO "Composite" and JSC "KONTI-RUS" to discuss export deliveries.   At NPO "Composite" they were shown the production and told about the products: pulp, pipelines and caterpillar tracks for equipment. The company is known for its wide export geography due to its exclusive technology and quality. Business representatives from Nigeria were particularly interested in the supply of a floating pipeline for offshore operation.   During the working trip, an excursion to KONTI-RUS JSC took place, where the guests were shown the confectionery production lines, had a tasting and discussed options for deliveries to West African countries.   Press Service of the Chamber of Kursk Oblast

On June 23, a Memorandum of Cooperation between the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Rostov Region and the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce was signed in Istanbul.   The Istanbul Chamber of Commerce represents about 400,000 companies that operate in various business areas. The Chamber cooperates with other international organizations and associations. Senem Erdogan, Head of the Department of Foreign Economic Relations of the Chamber, spoke about this, who held talks with Astanda Gablia, Senior Expert of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Rostov Region.   The parties agreed on mutually beneficial cooperation, which in the future will contribute to the growth of trade between the Rostov region and the Republic of Turkey. For these purposes, it is planned to organize work on the urgent needs of entrepreneurs in the development of Russian-Turkish business ties and conduct business missions for entrepreneurs.   Turkey is one of the main markets for the Rostov Oblast. It ranks first in the structure of the region's foreign trade turnover and accounts for almost 4th of it. At the same time, Don exports prevail over Turkish imports. In view of the great interest on the part of Don business in entering the Turkish market, the Chamber of the Rostov Oblast is aimed at establishing partnerships between entrepreneurs.   Chamber Press Service  

Sergey Katyrin, President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation, addressed the participants of the BRICS Business Forum 2022 as part of the panel discussion “Endorsing the concept of openness and promoting the recovery of the global economy”. I wish to express my gratitude for this opportunity to participate in our discussion. At the outset, I wish to note that the tradition of holding the BRICS business Forum was begun by our Chinese colleagues in 2011. Today the Business Forum has become an integral part of the program of the business enterprises events of BRICS. This has always been distinguished by an agenda which allows for discussion from various points of view both of the significant issue of strengthening trade, investment and production relations among the nations of the Big Five, and also to address issues of the global development of the world economy. It is absolutely clear that our world of today is changing rapidly, and that is a fact that cannot be denied. Unfortunately, we are observing today tendencies towards an increase in the fragmentation of that process of globalization which was previously a single and united one. Through no fault of our own, certain dividing lines have appeared in the global economy, in policies and in society, and there has been a drastic increase in the instability of the global economy. All of these factors must be taken seriously to find ways and means to ensure the social and economic stability of our countries and our partners, given the transformation that the traditional global economic order is now undergoing. Today, instead of engaging in joint efforts for the normalization of international trade, a number of Western countries have opted for politically motivated unilateral and unjustified trade measures which have only aggravated the consequences of the pandemic. The clear violations by these economies of the rules of the WTO have exerted major pressure on the global chain of supplies, which was still fragile after the pandemic. As a result, as assessed by WTO, the growth of the global GDP has slowed down and is now at 2.8 percent instead of 4.1 percent". 

The June 20 meeting between President of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Sergey Katyrin and President of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry Irfan Iqbal Sheikh was devoted to discussing the possibilities of economic cooperation between Russia and Pakistan.   In his welcoming remarks, Sergey Katyrin noted that the two business associations have a lot of topics that both parties could promote together, but first of all, it is necessary to exchange information about each other's capabilities.   In this regard, Sergey Katyrin spoke about the desire of regional chambers of commerce to develop cooperation with Pakistan, especially now, in modern conditions. The President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation drew the attention of the representative of Pakistan that Expocentre, which is part of the Chamber, could become a convenient place for the presentation of Pakistani goods, but also spoke about the interest of the Russian side in participating in industrial exhibitions held in Pakistan. He especially noted the importance of developing cooperation within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), in which Islamabad participates.   Pakistan is interested in developing trade routes and corridors with the Russian Federation and expanding bilateral economic cooperation in various areas where the potential of this country is especially strong, said Irfan Iqbal Sheikh. He called such industries the production of medical and surgical instruments, pharmaceutical products that Pakistan supplies to Germany, or information technology. Other areas that may be of interest to Russia, the representative of Pakistan considers the import of spare parts for cars, as well as high-quality textiles and leather goods. He noted Pakistan's desire to switch to mutual settlements in trade in national currencies, bypassing the dollar.   The delegation of Pakistan took part in the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum 2022. Irfan Iqbal Sheikh elected President of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry in 2022.   Press Service of the Chamber

The Russians have learned how to build relationships with China by correctly turning their ship's hull against the winds that are bearing down on us. After the start of the COVID-2019 pandemic, after the first sanctions, we got problems in logistics, we got problems in delivery delays and prices, but we learned how to deal with it. This was stated on June 16 by Vice-President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation Vladimir Padalko, speaking at the section "Russia-China", held as part of the business program of the 25th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.   According to him, the sixth wave of sanctions has come, “and we are already different, we react differently to everything and have learned to overcome these difficulties.” “We have created new transport corridors, we have opened new bridges, we have improved road crossings, we have created a luxurious high-speed infrastructure for the movement of our goods by rail. And aviation will also make its respective contribution. We have resolved billing issues. This is a global topic that affects all of us. And all this worked out because we had built the infrastructure,” Vladimir Padalko emphasized.   With no other country in the world, the Russian Federation has built such an infrastructure as with China, and in almost all industry areas there were subcommittees that worked closely together, said the vice president of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Answering the question of the leading section of the Director of the Institute of the Far East of the Russian Academy of Sciences Kirill Babaev about whether we are waiting for a boom in industrial cooperation with China, Vladimir Padalko said: “there will be a boom!”   The Vice President of the Chamber warned against euphoria, because, according to him, six waves of sanctions did not pass just like that - “we will wait together for the ninth wave, which will definitely come and go after us, when there is a denouement in Ukraine, when everyone feels that China becomes the main trader in Russia - he will be, because this is the trend of today.   “We will go for accelerated industrial-industrial cooperation and these are not theoretical calculations, but practical facts,” he said. Vladimir Padalko said that there are 78 projects being implemented by Russia and China worth $160 billion. “All companies will systematically implement these projects. In addition, hundreds and hundreds of new projects will appear, even in areas that we could not dream of. We will open up to each other both in terms of certification and in achievements and in secrets, because without this it is impossible to go on in-depth cooperation. Russia and China will make joint products and sell them,” said the Vice President of the Chamber.   “We believe in our common future, and China is a strategic partner that we need now,” concluded the Vice President of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.   Press Service of the Chamber

Against the backdrop of a difficult geopolitical situation, the great potential for business cooperation of the BRICS countries is clearly visible, Sergei Katyrin noted.

On June 10, a meeting of the Russia-South Africa Business Council was held at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation.   Vice President of the Chamber Maxim Fateev and Russian Ambassador to South Africa and the Kingdom of Lesotho Ilya Rogachev delivered a welcoming speech.   In his speech, Maxim Fateev noted that the Republic of South Africa is traditionally one of the five largest trading partners of Russia among African countries. At the end of 2021, the trade turnover between the two countries amounted to $1.14 billion.   Despite the current difficult international situation, Russia and South Africa have every opportunity to fulfill the potential of bilateral cooperation, primarily in such areas as energy, processing and transportation of hydrocarbons, and information technology.   “The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation receives a lot of requests from regional businesses interested in establishing contacts with African entrepreneurs. Moreover, the main problem is the lack of up-to-date information about markets, potential counterparties, local legislation,” Maxim Fateev emphasized.   The Chamber is ready to contribute to the organization of bilateral business meetings at the sites of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, to facilitate business missions and exhibition events on the basis of the subsidiaries of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation - Expocentre and WTC.   Ilya Rogachev drew attention to the global shifts in world trade caused by the tough sanctions regime against Russia. In this situation, South African entrepreneurs have a unique opportunity to significantly intensify trade and economic cooperation with the Russian Federation.   “Seize the moment - establish direct deliveries of goods from Russia, primarily food and oil products. These positions, as you know, are in great demand in the country's market,” Ilya Rogachev emphasized.   Trade Representative of the Russian Federation in South Africa Maxim Bureev spoke about the peculiarities of doing business in South Africa. According to him, business in African countries is still built primarily on personal contacts. Therefore, building a business at a distance simply will not work - you have to come, get to know each other, and negotiate long-term relationships. In addition, the South African market has changed markedly, it is necessary not only to deliver the goods, but also to establish a “end-to-end customer service”. And for this you need to build relationships with local entrepreneurs.   The meeting of the Russia-South Africa Business Council was attended by South African Ambassador to Russia Mzuvukile Maketuka, head of the royal house of Kei Koran Khobaha Melvin Arendse, as well as representatives of Russian and South African companies.   Summing up the results of the meeting, Pavel Yakovlev, Chairman of the Russia-South Africa Business Council, Director General of AZ Ural, noted that several appeals to federal authorities would be prepared on issues that hinder cooperation between the two countries.   Press Service of the Chamber

On March 26, in Bishkek, the signing ceremony of the Agreement on Cooperation between the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation and the International Union of Non-Governmental Organizations "Eurasian Peoples' Assembly" was held.   The agreement was signed by President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation Sergey Katyrin and Secretary General of the Eurasian Peoples' Assembly Andrey Belyaninov.   Further, the Orion Hotel hosted a panel session “Main areas of industrial cooperation: key trends, implementation tools, challenges and risks”, moderated by Sergey Katyrin.   In his closing remarks, Sergei Katyrin noted the content of the discussion, which will be useful and taken into account in the activities of the association of entrepreneurs.   By Petr Cheremushkin, Press Service of the Chamber

Russian-Turkish business circles have a special relationship that allows them to overcome many difficulties in the international situation, said Sergey Katyrin, President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation, in his address to representatives of business circles, investors and other interested parties. On May 25, the 2nd Forum "Russia - Turkey: New Challenges and Opportunities for Cooperation and Partnership" began with a televised greeting from the head of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation.   Marina Alekseeva, First Deputy Prime Minister of the Ulyanovsk Region, said in her report that infrastructure facilities for new investment projects are being created in the region. 157 investment projects have been implemented and 28,000 jobs have been created. In particular, during the construction of the brewery of the Turkish company Efes, 200 million euros were invested and 270 jobs were created. The company MARTUR for the production of car seats has invested 10 million euros in the Ulyanovsk region. Marina Alekseeva reported that 4 foreign companies announced their withdrawal from the Ulyanovsk region.   Hayri Tokman, from a large Turkish construction investment firm Baskan Yardimcisi AntYapi, informed that his company continues to operate on the Russian market, despite, as he puts it, the “latest situation”. In Russia, we have built airports and residential complexes and the total investment amounted to 450 billion rubles and 120 billion is in the portfolio. "We're not experiencing any major downturns in sales as our segment is business class," he said.   According to the Turkish businessman, over the 30 years of work in Russia we have seen many crises, and "we had no thoughts of leaving the Russian market." “We emerge from each crisis stronger and stronger and see opportunities in Russia that are not in the US or the UK,” said Hayri Tokman.   Alexander Nektorov, a representative of the Nektorov, Saveliev & Partners law firm, analyzed the consequences of sanctions restrictions imposed on Russia and Turkey's role in this regard. According to him, in the new conditions, some principals are forced to create financial centers outside of Russia. There is a relocation of IT business, which transfers its companies to Turkey to Cyprus. “Turkey is an attractive country for the relocation of Russian companies,” said Alexander Nektorov.   Recalling that more than 30 countries have imposed sanctions against Russia, Nektorov drew attention to the fact that “not all of Russia is under sanctions, there are individuals, companies, territories (for example, Crimea) that are subject to business restrictions.” However, there are those with whom you can do business, the lawyer emphasized.   Burhan Ozkan, President of the production company CEO Inter-Cultural Media, which created the series “Sultan of My Heart” for the 1st channel of Russian television, noting the strengthening of ideological components in the global viewership market, called on Russians to better use the potential of “soft power” concentrated in culture and Russian literature.   “Russia is a colossal layer of literature. These are Sholokhov, Gogol and Tolstoy, on whom we were all brought up, ”he recalled. "Why don't you use this richest layer of Russian literature to defend the interests of your country?" - Burkhan Ozkan asked a question, emphasizing that one should look for ways to the minds and hearts of people on the basis of works of Russian literature.   According to him, Russia and Turkey do not live only in the same geographical area. “We are very close mentally and familially – we are very close – we think alike, we have the same worries and we should not only watch American shows that uphold American values,” said a Turkish filmmaker. Burhan Ozkan said that he was ready to make a continuation of the series "The Sultan of My Heart", which was very popular with viewers, and drew attention to the fact that at present, in the global viewership market, Hollywood series are two times inferior to Turkish series, which are sold in 150 countries around the world.   “You cannot conquer the world with weapons alone, but you must conquer it with soft power,” said the Turkish producer.   The applied session “Development of Industrial Dialogue between the Businesses of the Two Countries” that took place during the forum was related to attracting Turkish businesses to the regions of Russia and consisted of presentations from various regions, as well as the Association of Industrial Parks of Russia, which was presented by Maxim Paznikov and the Russian Software Association Russoft, which was presented by Ivan Starodubtsev. The session was moderated by Maria Suvorovskaya, General Director of Business Dialog Media, Editor-in-Chief of the Russian Business Guide, Co-Chair of the Russian-Turkish Dialogue Association. During the Forum, there were other sessions related to the interaction between Russia and Turkey.   By Petr Cheremushkin, Press Service of the Chamber

The main goals defined in the ESG agenda (environment, social policy, public administration) have been pursued by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry for a long time, said Sergey Katyrin.   President of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that on May 20 in Kazan, answering a question about the future of the ESG agenda in Russia.   “If you look at the 17 principles defined in this agenda, you can see that the Chamber of Commerce is doing this work, maybe with some minor exceptions,” S. Katyrin said.   The President of the Chamber spoke during the plenary discussion of the International Forum of Chambers of Commerce and Industry and about the role of chambers of commerce and industry in the implementation of the ESG agenda, which is aimed at the sustainable development of commercial activities.   “Sustainable development is a familiar concept for many enterprises, but for the system of the chamber it is definitely,” Sergey Katyrin noted. He emphasized that in all large companies, ESG issues are under control and are included in the production chain.   The most important direction in the field of ecology could be cooperation between regions, so that it does not happen: when waste is poured into a river flowing to another region, Mr. Katyrin said. He also added that the issue of coordination concerns other areas of activity, not just ecology. There was a period when each region wanted to build a cement plant, but in the end, none of them could reach the design capacity, recalled Sergey Katyrin.   According to him, when they start creating production and inviting investors, enterprises start drowning each other, as a result, no one copes with the task: problems begin, where to lead it and how to implement it. Therefore, many projects must undergo interregional expertise, the president of the Russian Chamber believes. He stressed that any project must undergo an examination to understand what consequences may be encountered.   Katyrin also said that the Council for Sustainable Development was created to work on the ESG agenda. Large companies, including Rosatom, have been invited as partners. “We held the first meeting with the participation of Sergey Kiriyenko, First Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration. We have prepared recommendations for all our colleagues in chambers of commerce. I must say that in many regions the main driver of the sustainable development agenda is the chambers of commerce and industry. They initiate consideration of sustainable development issues. They become the initiators of the creation of structures that would deal with this,” he said. Press Service of the Chamber