The Russian-Arab Business Council held the Fourth Joint Meeting of the Russian and Arab RABC departments according to an agreement with the General Union of Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture of the Arab Countries. The session was held on August 31st and September 1st, 2005 in Moscow and on September 2nd in St. Petersburg.
The representatives of Chambers of commerce and industry, heads of ministries and departments, government officials, presidents of large companies, and the Arab businessmen interested in establishing and developing business ties with Russian entrepreneurs arrived in Moscow to attend the meeting.
The meeting was also attended by the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassadors of the Arab countries, as well as the representatives of the diplomatic corps in Moscow.
The members of the State Duma and the Council of the Federation, the representatives of state bodies and institutions, the heads of ministries and departments, the members of the Coordination Council and RABC associate members, heads of leading companies, Russian businessmen and entrepreneurs took part in the meeting from the Russian side. Sergey Lavrov, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, and Yevgeny Primakov, the President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation, welcomed the forum participants, as well as Alu Alkhanov, the President of the Chechen Republic, Vladimir Yevtushenkov, the Chairman of the RADC Russian department, the President of JSFC «Sistema».
Tatiana Gvilava, the Director of the RABC, the Advisor to the President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation, made a report on the RABC performance and plans for the nearest future. In her speech Tatyana Gvilava for the first time offered to the Arab side to discuss the project of a major Arab exhibition in Moscow aimed at promoting goods to the Russian markets from the Middle East and North Africa countries.
Dmitry Pumpyansky, the Co-chairman of the Russian-Syrian Business Council, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of OJSC «Pipe Metallurgical Company» told of the Russian-Syrian Business Council work.
Adnan Cassar, the Chairman of the Federation of Commercial and Industrial Chambers of Lebanon, Chairman of the Arab Department of RADC, headed the Arab delegation.
Ilyas Gantus, the Secretary General of the General Union of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture of the Arab countries, Abdullah Sultan Abdullah, the Secretary General of the Federation of the United Arab Emirates Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Khaled Abu Ismail, the President of the Federation of Egyptian Chambers of Commerce, Salem Said Al-Gattami, the President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Oman, Jacques Sarraf, the Chairman of the Group of Companies «Malia», Co-Chairman of the Lebanese-Russian Business Council, Honorary Consul of Russia in Lebanon, the representatives of «Saudi Chemical Co.», «Al Babtain Power and Telecommunication Co.», «Dalig Mazmoom National Company», «Hashim Hago Group», «Omdurman National Bank», «Nahas Enterprises Group», «Al-Watania», and others were among the session participants.
During the meeting a discussion was held on joint investment opportunities, promising areas of cooperation, plans for joint activities, topical issues of the Russian-Arab agenda. Within the framework of the business program six round tables were held on the areas of cooperation, as well as a separate meeting with entrepreneurs in St. Petersburg. In a solemn atmosphere, agreements on the formation of the «Russian-Sudanese» and «Russian-Oman» Business Councils were signed.
A press conference was held on August 31st, for Russian and foreign journalists with the participation of Ye.M. Primakov, V.P. Yevtushenkov, T.A.Gvilava, Ilias Gantus, and Adnan Kassar.
Then, the Russian and Arab businessmen took part in the special sessions on the following topics:
- the main directions of the Russian-Arab cooperation in the fields of high technologies, telecommunications, and innovation activity;
- the cooperation among Russia and the Arab countries in the field of fuel and energy complex (FEC);
- brokers exchange market, IPO. The investment and banking cooperation and its development prospects;
- he current state and prospects for Russian-Arab relations expanding in the field of tourism and cultural connections;
- congress-exhibition activity as the basis for establishing business connections between the Russian and Arab organizations and companies;
- cooperation in the field of industry and agriculture. Searching mechanisms and identification of promising cooperation projects;
- ways of interaction in the field of water resources;
- the usage of new technologies in water use and wastewater treatment. Environmental protection.
The constituent meetings of the Russian-Sudanese and Russian-Oman Business Councils were held on September 1st, as well as the second meeting of the Russian-Saudi and Russian-Lebanese Business Councils, during which businessmen discussed the main ways of cooperation in the field of joint projects implementation. The business forum program included also the bilateral meetings between the Russian and Arab businessmen.
The exhibition exposition of the Second Russian-Arab Industrial Exhibition was opened within the RABC session.