The UAE – Russia Forum Kicks Off In Moscow
The UAE – Russia Business Forum has kicked off yesterday Tuesday at the headquarters of the Chamber of Commerce & Industry of the Russian Federation. The forum activities will last until September 6th.
The forum comes on the sidelines of the visit of the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SCCI), represented by the Sharjah Exports Development Center (SEDC) delegation to Moscow and St. Petersburg.
The SEDC delegation is headed by HE Abdullah Sultan Al Owais, SCCI’s Chairman accompanied by HE Sheikh Majid Faisal Khalid Al Qasemi, SCCI’s First Vice Chairman.
The forum aims to acquaint the private sector with the rewarding opportunities in the emerging sectors to serve the interests of business communities in both Sharjah and Moscow.
It also aims to review the joint investment opportunities between the businessmen in the two countries and to exchange views on developing the fields of trade and industrial cooperation in order to achieve a distinguished economic partnership between both countries.
The forum witnessed the participation of Ahmed Saeed Al Ketbi, Head of the Office for Economic and Commercial Affairs, UAE Embassy to Russia, Jamal Bu Zinjal, Head of Media Department, SCCI, Jassim Al-Mutawa, Consultant of Relations with the Commonwealth of Independent States, Lamia Abdulrahman Al Jasmi, Senior Executive of National Industries Development, Sultan Abdullah Al Ali, National Industries Development Executive, Sharjah Export Development Center, a number of the businessmen and investors from Sharjah, and a number of Russian government officials, Russian businessmen and investors.
Robust Partnership
The forum activities started with a speech delivered by HE Georgy Botrov, Advisor to the President of the Moscow Chamber, through which, he hailed the organization of the Emirate of Sharjah of this forum, underlining that this visit would help enhance the solid friendship with the UAE as a strategic partner to Russia.
Botrov pointed out that the direct meetings between officials and businessmen from both countries achieve wider and farther results within the efforts of the two parties to develop their economic relations.
He called on businessmen in Sharjah to review the investment opportunities available in his country in the fields of building materials, agriculture, services, tourism, oil and gas and small and medium enterprises.
Resumption of Meetings
In his speech to the forum, HE Abdullah Sultan Al Owais, SCCI’s Chairman expressed his happiness with the renewed meeting with members of Russian Chambers and businessmen, stressing the depth of the Russian-UAE relations which are witnessing more and more growth and development in various fields.
Al Owais underlined that this visit aims to identify the business climate and investment areas available in Russia and to explore feasible opportunities in economic sectors of common interest.
In addition to promoting the attractive business environment in Sharjah, as part of the SCCI’s keenness of to develop its relations with various countries of the world and explore areas of trade cooperation and mutual investment opportunities that serve the business community in the Emirate of Sharjah and enhance its presence in various international markets.
Close Relations
Al Owais also underscored that the SCCI spares no effort in harnessing its entire potential to bolster this strong relationship. To that end, the Sharjah Chamber plays a vital role in stimulating the private sector to take part in the economic events held in both countries, in addition to providing all the facilities for the businessmen in terms of introducing the local business community.
He pointed to the close ties between the Chambers of Sharjah and Moscow. Such a relation which yielded the signing of the memorandum of understanding in 2017, which was followed by organizing several trade delegations.
These mutual visits have contributed to increasing the trade volume between the UAE and Russia, in addition to the existence of over 3000 Russian companies in the UAE.
Al Owais shed light on another aspect of the close relations between the two countries in terms of the cultural cooperation through a number of joint events, most notably, the selection of the Emirate of Sharjah from the management of the Moscow International Book Fair to be a guest of honor on the activities of its 32nd edition, which is held in conjunction with the activities of this forum.
An Encouraging Investment Climate
Lamia Abdulrahman Al Jasmi, Senior Executive of National Industries Development, shed light, through her presentation, on the pioneering position of the Emirate of Sharjah as a regional and international commercial hub.
She introduced the attendees to the efforts being made by the Sharjah Exports Development Center to promote Sharjah’s exports to new destinations, highlighting that Sharjah has more than 2400 manufacturing companies in 22 industrial zones, in addition to three free zones including Hamriyah Free Zone, Sharjah Airport International Free Zone and Sharjah Media City Free Zone.
Al Jasmi noted that the Emirate of Sharjah export its products to more than 185 countries, becoming an ideal platform for businessmen, investors and institutions of all kinds wishing to enhance their presence in the UAE and the markets of the region, thanks to the advantages, incentives and the work environment available in the Emirate.
She showcased a number of outstanding projects in the industrial and commercial fields and the and valuable opportunities for investors with attractive returns, noting that the value of exports between Sharjah and Russia has reached $20 million.
Bilateral Meeting to Enhance Dialogue
On the sideline of the forum, a meeting was held between HE Abdullah Sultan Al Owais, SCCI’s Chairman and Vladimir Padloko, Vice-President of the Federation of Russian Chambers.
During the meeting, Al Owais stressed that this visit is a continuation of the previous visits organized by the SCCI to the Russian side, which paved the way for developing and strengthening relations between Sharjah and Russia.
For his part, the Vice-President of the Federation of Russian Chambers expressed his thanks and appreciation to the Sharjah Chamber for its cooperation and efforts in organizing this mission.
He highlighted the significance of the UAE delegation’s visit and the positive results it will bring to the interests of the two friendly countries and business communities. Such visits would help enhance relations and partnerships between the two sides.
The meeting was attended by HE Sheikh Majid Faisal Khalid Al Qasemi, SCCI’s First Vice Chairman, Ahmed Saeed Al Ketbi, Head of the Office for Economic and Commercial Affairs, UAE Embassy to Russia, Jamal Bu Zinjal, Head of Media Department, SCCI and Jassim Al-Mutawa, Consultant of Relations with the Commonwealth of Independent States.
Bilateral Meetings
The first day activities concluded with organizing bilateral business meetings between the businessmen from Sharjah and their Russian counterparts, during which they learned about the available and possible fields of cooperation, in addition to exploiting the sophisticated technologies in both sides in the primary production sectors.
