The I JOINT MEETING OF THE RUSSIAN-ARAB BUSINESS COUNCIL

24.01.2004 - 25.01.2004 г. - CAIRO, EGYPT
The first session of the Russian-Arab Business Council established in 2003 was held in Egypt, a country that was Russia's most important trading partner in the Arab region. The session was held under the patronage and with the participation of Mr. Atef Obeid, the Prime Minister of the Arab Republic of Egypt.

Abdelhakim Kemmu, the President of the General Union of Arab Chambers, the President of the Moroccan Federation of Commerce and Industry, headed the Arab delegation. The delegation included Khaled Abu Ismail, the President of the Federation of Egyptian Chambers of Commerce, the Chairman of the Arab Department of the RABC in 2003-2004, Hassan Kedr, the Egyptian Minister of Supply and Domestic Trade, Akhmed Makher, the Egyptian Foreign Minister, Ilyas Gantus, the Secretary General of the General Union of the Arab Chambers, the heads of the ministries and departments of several Arab countries, the heads of chambers of commerce an industry and major Arab businessmen.

E.M. Primakov, the President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Russia and V.P. Yevtushenkov, the Chairman of the Russian-Arab Business Council headed the Russian delegation. The representatives of the leading enterprises, banks, oil and gas companies, and organizations representing other sectors of the economy arrived in Cairo as members of the Russian delegation. 

At the joint meeting, the state of Russian-Arab trade and economic relations was discussed, as well as the possible directions for the cooperation development in the fields of trade, industrial cooperation, telecommunications, the oil and gas sector, and the construction of large energy facilities. The Russian and Arab delegates formulated jointly the main directions of the RABC activity and discussed the Council development prospects. E.M. Primakov and V.P. Yevtushenkovmet Hosni Mubarak, the President of Egypt, within the framework of the session. E.M.Primakov conveyed to H. Mubarak the message of V.V. Putin, the President of the Russian Federation, that emphasized the role of Russia in the Middle East settlement process and the exceptional importance of strengthening Russian-Egyptian relations in all spheres.

As a result of discussions and dialogue that were conducted within the framework of the Council, the Russian and Arab sides came to a common opinion on a number of issues that had been under discussion, which was recorded by the signing of two official documents - «the Protocol between the Chamber of Commerce of the Russian Federation and the General Union of the Arab Chambers» and «the Final Communique».

The first document stated that «the Russian-Arab Business Council will consist of two parts - the Russian and the Arab. The Russian part is formed by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Russia, and the Arab part is formed by the General Union of the Arab Chambers». 

It had been decided that each party elected independently a chairman from among its members, and that joint meetings of the Council should be held alternately at least once a year in Russia and in one of the Middle East and North Africa countries.

From the Russian side, E.M. Primakov, the President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation, signed the protocol, from the Arab side - Abdel Hakim Kemmu, the President of the General Union of Arab Chambers, the President of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of the Kingdom of Morocco.

The Final Communiqué specified the maximum usage of the opportunities provided including the possibilities through the implementation of the joint production and marketing projects, facilitating the exchange of goods and services (in the field of science, technique, and technology). The RABC called for working on the information exchange concerning modern trade and economic development, and for the both sides, Russia and the Arab countries, for making efforts on supporting investment (in production projects especially).

The parties called for the exchange of trade delegations, trade fairs holding, export development, increasing the number of small business joint activities, the cooperation development in the field of tourism, and in the financial sphere. 

Following the first meeting, the Russian-Arab Business Council decided to hold a second joint meeting in Moscow.