On June 2 the Days of Moscow in Paris were held. In the Chamber of Commerce of Paris - Île-de-France, a plenary session of the Business Forum on cooperation between the Russian and French capitals "Big Moscow - Grand Paris" was conducted, with one of the organizers being the Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The plenary session of the "Big Moscow - Grand Paris" outlined the main challenges facing our metropolitan areas. In his speech, Mr Sergei Sobyanin, the Mayor of Moscow, said that the volume of municipal and private investment in Moscow in 2015 reached a historic high. "Despite the economic difficulties, Moscow continues to flourish. The city retains all the basic development programs. We continue construction of the subway, roads, railways, while investing in public health and education, "- said the Moscow Mayor
In turn, the president of the Chamber of Commerce of Paris - Île-de-France, Jean-Paul Vermes, said that cooperation between the two cities will address not only the development of partnerships in business, but also the improvement of the quality of life in the cities. "We intend to continue our relationship and bolster it by the participation of French companies in the project " Big Moscow"" - he added.
Currently, in the Russian market, there are 1,200 French enterptises and 7000 companies trading with Russia. A significant number of these companies operate in Moscow.
Both Paris and Moscow are experiencing considerable changes in their infrastructures. Thus, the project "Big Moscow" includes the creation of new residential areas, new network services, new subway lines, improvement of the Moscow River’s shoreline. The "Grand Paris" project envisages the improvement of the entire metropolitan area and the creation of a single controlling authority. The projects "Grand Paris" and "Big Moscow" have much in common, said the head of the French project, Maurice Leroy. According to him, the economy of the two cities is also closely connected. "Without Moscow, the economy of Paris will suffer. Without Paris, Moscow’s economy will be at a disadvantage. We shall continue our cooperation ", - he said.
The Days of Moscow program in Paris was very intensive and representational. A number of important agreements were signed. The Moscow Mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, and the Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, signed a structured plan for the cooperation program for 2016-2018, which involves collaboration in the spheres of economy, education and culture. The forum held a round table, devoted to the issues of "green economy" and energy-conservation. Report on innovations, which are being implemented in the Russian capital in the field of energy conservation and the use of environmentally friendly technologies was delivered by the head of Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of the City of Moscow, Anton Kulbachevsky. In addition, representatives of the French companies "Renault - Russia" and "Ashan" talked about the conditions that have been created for business in Moscow and the advanced technologies used in order to minimize damage to the environment and improve business efficiency.
The Vice-President of the Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Suren Vardanyan, highlighted the prospects of cooperation with our compatriots in France: " The Russian Embassy hosted a great reception on behalf of the Government of Moscow, which was attended not only by representatives of French companies, but also by our fellow countrymen. Almost all of them are ready to cooperate with Russian companies in a variety of industries, ranging from housing and communal services to the aircraft industry. "
The President of the Moscow Chamber of Commerce, Vladimir Platonov, considers one of the most important results of the Days of Moscow in Paris not only the prospect of cooperation in various business areas, but also the possible further mutually profitable teamwork of the Chambers of Commerce of the two countries’ capitals - Russia and France. "We hope to strengthen our cooperation within the urban forum, to be held in late June in Moscow, and in the meeting of the G 6’s heads of the CCI’s six largest cities - Moscow, Berlin, London, Paris, Beijing, Sao Paulo, which is scheduled for June 22nd".
The Days of Moscow in France, for the first time, take place simultaneously in three cities: Paris, Strasbourg and Nice. They will be concluded on the 13th of June.