In Vladikavkaz on November 30, Vice President of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Vladimir Padalko took part in the IX International Economic Forum “South Gate of Russia 2023”. The main topic of the forum was a discussion of the development of tourism infrastructure and support for export-oriented enterprises. Vladimir Padalko made a presentation “On the participation of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the development of tourism in the Russian Federation,” talking about the activities of the relevant committee, territorial chambers, and “success stories” in this area. He also dwelled on problematic issues that prevent the regions from developing this industry more widely. The plenary session of the forum was attended by the Chairman of the Government of North Ossetia-Alania Boris Dzhanaev, guests from South Ossetia, Abkhazia, and Turkey. On the same day, Vladimir Padalko took part in a meeting of the Russian-Georgian Business Council in Magas (Republic of Ingushetia). The fifth meeting of the RGDS was devoted to the topic “Tourism. Cultural values in Russian-Georgian relations.” Members of the business council and invited guests discussed the following issues: the state of affairs in the national tourism industry of the two countries, the participation of regions in the development of domestic tourism. Interested companies showed presentations of tourism and cultural projects in Russia and Georgia. The leadership of the Republic and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Ingushetia not only presented national tourism and transport projects at the meeting. The meeting participants - representatives of Russian ministries and departments, and a delegation from Georgia - were also able to get acquainted with the main tourist sites of the republic by traveling to mountainous Ingushetia. There was also a meeting between the vice-president of the Russian chamber and the head of the Republic of Ingushetia, Mahmud-Ali Kalimatov.   By Olga Stasyun, Department of External Relations

On November 30, President of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Sergei Katyrin spoke at the plenary session of the VII International Conference “Russian Pulp and Paper Industry: New Realities, New Opportunities,” which was organized by the Union of Timber Industry and Timber Exporters of Russia with the participation of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and took place in Istanbul. In his welcoming speech, Sergei Katyrin emphasized the role of the Chamber in ensuring the sustainable development of the forestry and paper industries in the face of unprecedented pressure from unfriendly governments. At the same time, he noted that Western companies are ready to continue constructive cooperation with domestic companies operating in the production of pulp and paper products. “Within the entire forest complex, the pulp and paper industry has demonstrated perhaps the greatest resilience. Core enterprises were able to adapt in difficult conditions and minimize the negative consequences of sanctions, problems with logistics and shortages of components and consumables, and find new solutions in the field of import substitution,” he noted. As a successful example of import substitution, he cited a joint project of the Arkhangelsk Pulp and Paper Mill and scientists from the Northern Federal University, which makes it possible to replace imported chemicals when bleaching paper. Speaking about interaction on the external track, Sergei Katyrin said that regional business is actively developing the markets of China, India, the countries of the Asia-Pacific region and the Middle East. At the same time, the geography of the business is expanding due to supplies to the countries of Africa and Latin America. “In many ways, the issue of increasing the export of Russian timber industry products depends on the effective solution of transport and logistics issues, including the optimization of railway transportation, the development of the Northern Sea Route, port infrastructure, and container lines,” he pointed out. The head of the Chamber held a meeting with the Vice President of the Union of Chambers and Exchanges of Turkey, President of the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce Şekib Avdagic. The parties discussed issues of strengthening interregional partnership of business circles and agreed to intensify interaction. Sergei Katyrin emphasized that Turkish entrepreneurs actively participate in congress and exhibition events in Russia, including at the site of Expocentre JSC. By Nail Shakhvaliyev, Press Service of the Chamber, and Sergey Markelov, Department of External Relations

On November 29, President of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Sergei Katyrin held a meeting with representatives of the Chamber abroad.   At the beginning of the meeting, he cited statistics provided by the Federal Customs Service, according to which Russia’s foreign trade turnover in the three quarters of 2023 decreased by 16 percent. Exports to Europe decreased the most – 70 percent. Imports from Europe also fell by almost 10 percent. According to Katyrin, there has been a “strengthening of the Asian vector.” Thus, trade with Greater Asia now accounts for almost 70% or $227 billion, an increase of 10 percent. “By and large, a new geography of our foreign trade has emerged. I think that in the near future, at least in the medium term, this geography will be presented in this form,” he emphasized. Sergey Katyrin reported that the CCI system in the Russian Federation, in terms of developing international cooperation, has actively joined in solving pressing problems for business: entering new markets, searching for alternative suppliers, assisting in solving problems in “Western” jurisdictions, creating various platforms. For this purpose, foreign representatives, business councils, and partner organizations were involved. He noted the activities of Expocentre JSC, which holds from 80 to 100 exhibitions a year - all of them international. The activity of the Maritime Arbitration Commission (MAC) and the International Commercial Arbitration Court (ICAC) was also noted. “We have maintained our leadership among the leading institutions for resolving international disputes,” the head of the Chamber emphasized. Vice President of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Vladimir Padalko, during his report, pointed out that fundamental changes have occurred in the foreign economic situation. One of the most serious consequences of Western sanctions has been a significant reduction in Russian exports. “These data indicate that not all business entities were able to reorient themselves to new markets, find new partners and increase supply volumes to pre-sanction levels. The RF CCI, due to its status, can do a lot to overcome negative trends and become an important channel for reorienting trade flows to the markets of loyal countries. We have such resources, and they are considerable,” he emphasized. Vladimir Padalko reported that as of November 2023, the network of foreign representative offices of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry covers more than 40 countries with its activities. There are 8 full-time representative offices in 7 countries, 4 of which have regional status. The institute of honorary representatives is actively developing. On a voluntary basis, the interests of the Chamber are represented abroad by 19 Russian entrepreneurs. The foreign economic infrastructure of the Chamber also includes Business Councils for cooperation with foreign countries. We currently have 78 bilateral tips in our arsenal. The vast majority of them are actively working in their areas. Separately, the Vice-President of the Chamber focused on the geographic priorities of work in the coming 2024. In particular, V. Padalko noted that the work of the CCI system in the Russian Federation with the CIS countries “has always been distinguished by mutual activity.” “Bilateral business councils and honorary representatives of the Chamber, primarily in Kazakhstan and Tajikistan, play an important role in maintaining a high level of interaction with partners in the post-Soviet space. We are considering the issue of expanding the geographic presence of the Chamber in Central Asia by appointing honorary representatives in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan,” said the Vice President of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.Within the Asian track, the main directions of business activity are the countries of Southeast and South Asia - ASEAN, China, India, Turkey. Positions are also growing in India, which is also seen as a kind of “gateway” to neighboring countries that may be interesting from the point of view of promoting Russian goods - Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan. “As for the Middle East. We are seeing a significant increase in domestic business in the markets of these countries. The office of the Chamber's honorary representative in the Middle East, based in Dubai, remains extremely in demand. The Turkish direction is being “closed” by a full-time representative office, the Russian-Turkish Business Council. Other areas in the Middle East that should be given increased attention, in our opinion, are Iran and Syria. Egypt,” noted Vladimir Padalko. When working with European countries, he believes, it is important to maintain established connections and contacts and continue to develop cooperation in those areas that are not affected by the restrictions introduced. “The main support points of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry in these states remain the representative offices in Germany, Austria and Serbia. We are considering the prospect of opening a Chamber office in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” he noted. In addition, active work continues to assist businesses in establishing mutually beneficial business cooperation with countries in Africa and Latin America. During the Russian presidency of BRICS next year, the active promotion of initiatives in the interests of entrepreneurs through the BRICS Business Council will continue.   By Nail Shakhvaliyev, Press Service of the Chamber  

The IX International Scientific and Expert Forum “Primakov Readings” took place on November 27-28 at the International Trade Center in Moscow. The forum brought together famous experts, diplomats and politicians in the field of international relations and the global economy. In his speech, President of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Sergei Katyrin emphasized that today it is very important to strengthen the dialogue with representatives of the business community of friendly countries, strengthen industrial cooperation, and identify new promising ways of technological partnership.Katyrin expressed confidence that the so-called turn to the East has taken place - this is evidenced by the indicators of Russian foreign trade. According to the Federal Customs Service, trade with Asia today accounts for about 70 percent of Russia’s total trade turnover. At the same time, cooperation with Europe is steadily declining. Thus, exports to Europe for 9 months of this year decreased by 70 percent compared to the same period of the previous year, imports from Europe fell by 10 percent. Exports to Asia increased by 10%, imports from Asia by 40 percent.   “Thus, today a new market configuration and a new geography are emerging for Russia. We believe that in the medium term, approximately this configuration will remain,” Katyrin said. Among the main tasks that the system of chambers of commerce and industry sets for itself, he named the expansion of cooperation with the business communities of the CIS countries, the EAEU, the SCO, and BRICS; countries of the Asia-Pacific region, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America.   Katyrin also added that the Russian Chamber aims to monitor the situation, maintain long-term established ties, and support those foreigners who remained in Russia and continue to participate in the implementation of launched projects. At the opening, Assistant to the President of the Russian Federation, Chairman of the Forum Organizing Committee Yuri Ushakov read out Vladimir Putin’s greeting to the participants of the Primakov Readings.   In his speech, Yu. Ushakov noted that the period of global dominance of the West, which began with the era of great geographical discoveries, is now ending, and the world is “moving away from Western-centricity towards multipolarity.” Ushakov also added that it is Russia, with the help of specific deeds and consistent policies, that contributes to the formation of a new world order and is the locomotive of this objective process.Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation Konstantin Kosachev said that Russia, together with the world majority, today defends a democratic world order, while the collective West behaves “extremely authoritarian.”   The President of the National Research Institute of World Economy and International Relations named after Yevgeniy M. Primakov (IMEMO RAS), Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Alexander Dynkin, spoke at the opening.  By Nail Shakhvaliev, Press Service of the Chamber

On November 27, President of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Sergei Katyrin held a working meeting with the General Director of the international investment congress in the United Arab Emirates “AIM Congress” Walid Farghal. The Annual Investment Meeting (AIM Congress) is an annual investment congress held in Abu Dhabi (UAE) on the initiative of the AIM International Foundation, an independent international organization whose goal is to expand the capabilities of the global economy by promoting promising projects and increasing economic productivity. In 2023, the Congress attracted over 10 thousand participants from 175 countries.   During the meeting, Sergei Katyrin noted the importance of developing investment cooperation and strengthening bilateral dialogue between countries. He reported on the implementation of a project to introduce the Regional Investment Standard in the constituent entities of Russia and the role of the system of chambers of commerce and industry in this process, emphasizing that this experience can be useful to foreign partners both in implementing their own investment policy and in the case of investment projects in the regions of Russia.  Нe also recommended that guests visit the international exhibition-forum “Russia”, which takes place in Moscow on the territory of the VDNKh exhibition complex, and noted that the RF Chamber of Commerce and Industry, together with regional chambers, actively and regularly participates in the work of the Forum. The President of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry supported the idea of ​​cooperating the system of chambers of commerce and industry with the AIM Congress and instructed to carry out preliminary work to prepare a delegation of regional chambers of commerce and industry to participate in the annual investment forum in Abu Dhabi (UAE) in May 2024. Walid Farghal spoke about the goals and objectives of the AIM Congress, noting the importance of comprehensive assistance in attracting foreign direct investment, developing small and medium-sized businesses, stimulating start-ups and implementing innovative projects. He emphasized that the Congress is aimed at supporting a wide range of economic sectors: industry, agriculture, energy, healthcare, technology, finance, etc. Traditionally, the AIM Congress brings together investors, representatives of government authorities, chambers of commerce and industry, private businesses, and financial institutions from various countries. Following the meeting, the parties agreed to maintain a working dialogue in order to coordinate joint business activities. The meeting was attended by Vice President of the Chamber Dmitry Kurochkin and AIM Global business manager for cooperation with Russia Olga Kolomeitseva. Department of Project and Investment Activities

On November 10, a meeting of the BRICS Business Council was held to transfer the mandate of chairmanship of the association from the Republic of South Africa to the Russian Federation in 2024. During the meeting, held via videoconference, President of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Sergei Katyrin accepted the credentials from Ms. Buzi Mabutsa, Chairman of the South African part of the BRICS Business Council. In his speech, Sergei Katyrin noted the excellent organization of the Annual Meeting and Business Forum by the Republic of South Africa, the rich program of working group meetings, as well as thematic sections and round tables held at the BRICS summit in Johannesburg in August this year. “We highly appreciate the approach of our South African colleagues, who set the task of emphasizing the high role and relevance of the Business Council in promoting the interests of entrepreneurs of our countries and developing trade and economic ties within the association,” said the head of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.   “All representatives of the Russian part responded to your initiative to hold today’s extraordinary meeting and are ready to take up the baton of chairmanship of the BRICS Business Council,” said S. Katyrin.    “We will be grateful for your recommendations for the presidency in 2024,” said the head of the Chamber. In her speech, Ms. Buzi Mabutsa presented the results and achievements of the BRICS Business Council during South Africa's chairmanship over the past year. Representatives of South African working groups spoke at the meeting, talking about cooperation in the field of aviation management, financial services, infrastructure and industrial production. Representatives of India Naveen Kapoor and China Liu Zheying addressed the meeting participants with greetings.   “We in the Russian part of the BRICS BC approach the upcoming chairmanship with great responsibility. “10 years of joint hard work are behind us,” recalled the head of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He assured that the results of the South African chairmanship of the Business Council, as well as the example in organizing the business program, will be developed on the agenda of the “Russian” year.   “We are drawing up a plan for the main events of the BRICS Business Council, after approval of which we will hold a number of internal meetings and, from the beginning of the year, we will launch work through the secretariats and working groups of the national parts of the BRICS BC,” said S. Katyrin.   From January 1, 2024, with the involvement of new colleagues, we are actually moving to a new level of work, primarily due to the effect of “scale”. Now not 5, but 11 states will participate in the work of the Council. At the same time, the number of representatives from national units increased from 25 to 55, said the head of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.   “In this regard, we believe it is extremely important to competently and timely “immerse” our new colleagues in the current agenda. At the same time, we count on the active participation and support of all representatives in the current composition of the “five,” said S. Katyrin. The President of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry thanked Buzi Mabutsa and her team for their joint work as part of the presidency of the BRICS Business Council in 2023 and invited her and all respected colleagues to Kazan - already in October next year.   By Peter Cheremushkin, Press Service of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry

On November 8, in the gallery “On Chistye Prudy”, located in the building of the Business Center of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation, an exhibition of African art from the collection of Marina Schmidt “Africa: Love at First Sight” opened. About 200 works by contemporary African artists are presented on two floors of the Center. Particular attention is drawn to relief panels, wooden and bronze sculptures, and ivory sculptures. Traditional ritual masks, genre scenes from life, portraits, abstract works and phantasmagoric flights of fancy of artists - carvers from Tanzania, Mozambique, Mali, Congo, Guinea, Nigeria, Senegal, Zambia. Most of the works in the collection were purchased from Soviet specialists and their descendants who worked on the African continent, providing humanitarian and technical assistance to African countries. The exhibits presented at the exhibition date mainly from 1950-1980. It was then, in connection with the decolonization of African countries and their gaining political independence, that a rise in creative activity began, and recognizable new styles in painting appeared. The exhibition will last until December 3. Admission is free, the gallery is open daily from 10.00 to 20.00. By Peter Cheremushkin  Press Service of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Ruslan Davydov, acting head of the Federal Customs Service of Russia, spoke at the plenary meeting and said that 25 states were participating in the Forum

Industry trade shows and exhibition activities in general are helping to increase connections between regions, especially now that supply chains are being restored. This was stated by the President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation Sergei Katyrin in his welcoming speech at the opening of the IX All-Russian Conference on Exhibition, Fair and Congress Activities and the XIII International Forum of the Exhibition Industry “5pEXPO-2023”, held on October 24 at the Expocenter on Krasnopresnenskaya Embankment. “Today is the case when exhibitionists can talk about exhibitionists, about their problems, about their affairs, about what needs to be worked on,” said Sergei Katyrin, addressing the participants of the Exhibition Industry Forum. “Recently it has become clear that our entrepreneurs and manufacturers know little about what their neighbors are doing in terms of technology, what capabilities certain enterprises have, and what they can produce. We encountered this when we worked to overcome sanctions, when we restored broken supply chains, when we looked for suppliers. It was then that the governors realized that not only huge international forums were needed, but also regional exhibitions,” noted the President of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Before the opening ceremony of the exhibition, the President of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry inspected the exhibition, especially emphasizing the importance of developing exhibition sites in the regions. This year at the Forum the exhibition “Exhibition City 5pEXPO” was created. For the first time, the Department of Regional Development of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry has formed a collective exposition of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry “Regions”, where regional chambers of commerce and industry are represented: Moscow, Stavropol Territory, Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, Kirov, Arkhangelsk, Vladimir, Bryansk, Tambov, Smolensk regions. According to the President of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, recently our situation with international partners has leveled off: some of them returned, others did not leave and continued to work. “Our foreign partners continue to work, for which we are grateful to them. They also participate in congress and exhibition activities. We would like to retain those who work in Russia and with Russia,” he said. Sergei Katyrin noted the work of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the field of legislative activity, which produces concrete results. In particular, in July, the term “congress and exhibition event” was defined at the federal level. In September, the Government of the Russian Federation approved the Strategy for the development of congress and exhibition activities until 2030. “The main reference points have been outlined, but this does not mean that we have resolved all the issues. We, of course, would like a law on exhibition activities to be adopted,” emphasized S. Katyrin. The plenary session was addressed by Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation Alexey Gruzdev, President of the Russian Union of Exhibitions and Fairs, General Director of ExpoForum-International Sergey Voronkov, Deputy General Director of PJSC International Trade Center Vadim Subbotin, Deputy Director of the Roscongress Foundation, Director of the St. Petersburg International economic forum Alexey Valkov and others. The speakers noted that congress and exhibition activities continue to be one of the effective tools for demonstrating and promoting goods and services on the domestic market and maintaining business contacts with partners from foreign countries, but also the basis for building and establishing new business connections. Press Service of the Chamber

The meeting between the head of the Chamber Sergei Katyrin, and the Ambassador of Ethiopia, Cham Ugala Uriyat, was devoted to discussing upcoming contacts between the business community of Russia and Ethiopia and the participation of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry.   The meeting was attended by Vice President of the Chamber Vladimir Padalko, Deputy Director of the Department of External Relations of the Chamber Ilya Nesterov and others.   As Sergei Katyrin noted, today the main task for the developing Russian-Ethiopian relations is to increase trade turnover between our countries. The Chamber system has capabilities that entrepreneurs can use and provides access to any point in the regions of Russia, S. Katyrin noted. According to him, there is an opportunity and need for the Ethiopian Chamber of Commerce and Industry to work more actively with Russian regions.    The Ambassador of Ethiopia emphasized that recently there has been an increase in trade turnover, which was facilitated by the resumption of Ethiopian Airlines flights from Moscow, flying three times a week. This became possible thanks to the signing of an agreement at the Russia-Africa summit held in St. Petersburg. According to the Ambassador, an increase in the frequency of flights and the emergence of cargo flights will lead to increased cooperation.   The President of the Chamber also welcomed the resumption of direct flights between Russia and Ethiopia and emphasized the opportunities opening up in this regard for increasing the tourist flow to African countries. He also especially noted that organizing direct, without the participation of intermediaries, supplies of products from Ethiopia to Russia, such as flowers and coffee, will increase profits for businessmen and will allow them to offer consumers the best prices.   During the meeting, issues of holding a Russian-Ethiopian business forum, in which the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry could take part, were discussed the date of which will be decided in the near future. In this regard, Sergei Katyrin noted the importance of disseminating information about Ethiopia for Russian business and presenting this country at Expocentre exhibitions and in the regions.       Press Service of the Russian Chamber

The delegation, headed by the Chairman of the Sakarya Chamber of Commerce and Industry Akgün Altug, is in Russia on a return visit after representatives of the Lipetsk Chamber traveled to Turkey

The Chamber of Commerce and Industry hosted a presentation of the economic, industrial and investment potential of the Kirov region. The region was represented by Governor Alexander Sokolov and members of the regional government. Before the start of the official part, representatives of the Kirov Region delegation, together with the President of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Sergei Katyrin and the Vice-President of the Chamber Maxim Fateev, inspected the exhibition in the foyer of the Congress Center. It presented the products of the Kirov region, in particular, consumer goods, light and food industries, as well as brands of the region, known far beyond its borders. The excursion was conducted by the President of the Vyatka Chamber of Commerce and Industry Union Andrey Usenko. As Sergey Katyrin noted during the presentation, the Kirov region borders on nine Russian regions, which largely closes questions of sales and search for components for current and potential investors.   “In my opinion, a very serious set of preferences is provided for investors in the region. This gives advantages to the region, which is interested in implementing investment projects on its territory,” noted the President of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.   Governor Alexander Sokolov told the presentation participants that forests occupy more than 60% of the territory of the Kirov region. In terms of logging and wood processing volumes, the region is one of the largest producers in Russia.   Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Kirov Region Mikhail Sandalov presented a report on the development of machine tool industry in the region. For example, the LEPSE plant produces specialized lathes. 50 machines have already been manufactured and put into operation, which meet the latest requirements for machining and have a modern numerical control system. Companies from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan, and the Nizhny Novgorod region showed interest in purchasing the plant’s lathes. Milling, drilling, sharpening and grinding machines are produced by Vyatka Machine Tool Plant, Kirov Machine Tool Plant, Lesmaster Plus, woodworking machines - Stankoles-Trade, Pilotekhnika. Omutninsky Metallurgical Plant developed and began production of guides for linear bearings used in machine tools.   A report on the prospects for the development of the milk processing industry was presented by Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Kirov Region Yuri Tereshkov. Rector of Vyatka State University Valentin Pugach spoke about the training of engineering personnel.At the presentation, a video was presented dedicated to the celebration of the 650th anniversary of the founding of Kirov in 2024.   A ceremony was held to sign a cooperation agreement between the Kirov region and Haier Electrical Appliances RUS. The document was signed by the regional governor Alexander Sokolov and Haier business development director Lyudmila Romanova. During the day, the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry held round tables “Folk artistic crafts – the calling card of the region. Integration of crafts into the education and enlightenment system”, “Biotechnology as an element of the region’s investment attractiveness”, presentation of the tourism potential of the Kirov region and the program for celebrating the 650th anniversary of the founding of Kirov, as well as B2B meetings.   Press Service of the Chamber