The Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Industry was visited by a delegation of the Kingdom of Bahrain’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry, headed by its Chairman, Mr. Sameer Abdulla Ahmed Nass.
In his welcoming speech, the MCCI President, Mr. Vladimir Platonov, noted that Russia and Bahrain have long-standing close political, as well as economic relations. "When we visited Bahrain in 2019, we saw what an important place the Chamber of Commerce and Industry occupies in the country's economic system: we were received at the highest level," the Moscow Chamber’s Head shared his memory. - "We believe that Bahrain is a gateway to the Gulf not only because of its geographic location, but also because of the policies it pursues.
Mr. Sameer Nass said that the main purpose of the current visit is to get acquainted with Russian companies and their products, with the goal being further collaboration. "We want to activate all the agreements that Bahrain and Russia have signed in order to develop fruitful cooperation," announced the Head of the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He said that his country is now implementing a plan to build an International Convention and Exhibition Center in the city of Sahira with a total area of more than 300,000 square meters.
The main building, with an area of almost 150,000 square meters, will include ten exhibition areas, with a total area of 95,000 square meters, as well as dedicated spaces for trading and conducting functions and holding events. The Head of the Bahrain Chamber would like the pavilion to occupy the central place of this complex, where companies and products of Russian manufacturers will be exhibited.
"Bahrain is the first country where I lived in the Gulf," said Mr. Alexey Busev, the Chairman of the MCCI Commission for Foreign Economic Cooperation with Partners in the United Arab Emirates. - “This country has introduced the culture and the economy of the region to me; I found friends here". The speaker said that the MCCI is extending considerable efforts to develop economic relations with Bahrain. "We are planning to hold an online Conference on the topic of cooperation in the field of agro-industrial complex (food-cooperatives). We invite you to participate in the preparation and holding of this important event, which can be planned for the fall of this year," said Mr. Busev. In addition to the agro-industrial sector, he named construction, the IT industry and investment projects among promising industries for networking.
The Adviser to the President of the MCCI, Mr. Vladimir Sidorov, emphasized the relevance and timeliness of the meeting: in November of last year, the Russian President, Mr. Vladimir Putin, has set the task before the relevant departments to accomplish effecting, by 2025, the Persian Gulf countries to emerge as the third largest trade partners of Russia after Europe and China in trade volume.
Summarizing the results of the meeting, Mr. Platonov invited the Bahraini colleagues to consider the MCCI as an entry point to the many regional Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Russia, with which the Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Industry enjoys close association. The Head of the Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Industry thanked the guests for the meeting, which turned out to be "informal, warm and friendly". In addition, he expressed confidence that the contacts will be ongoing and new joint projects will soon be brought forth. In his turn, Mr. Abdullah Nass assured that "this is definitely not the last visit to Moscow" by Bahraini colleagues, and expressed his gratitude for the fruitful meeting.