Mr. Vladimir Platonov, the President of the Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Industry, visited three countries of the Balkan Peninsula: Greece, Croatia and Slovenia as a member of the delegation of the Moscow City Government, from 22nd of September till the 1st of October.
The mission, whose task required the restoration of contacts with the business community of these countries, after a long pandemic hiatus, was to determine the priorities and mechanisms of state support for foreign economic activity. In addition to economic cooperation issues - cultural interaction, preservation of heritage and the integrity of history were discussed. In each country, meetings were held with the Heads of the Chambers of Commerce and Industry of cities and their countries, mayors’ offices, business centers, the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, the requisite centers of industries of tourism and trade. Meetings with companies, interested in developing and establishing new, mutually beneficial relations, took place. The MCCI President presented the opportunities of the Chamber’s member companies and described the MCCI’s capabilities to support the companies entering the Russian, Moscow’s market.
The topics touched upon the development of transport, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, artificial intelligence affecting various aspects of a city’s life, development of new technologies in the field of green economy and agro-industrial complex. The participants discussed the involvement of business communities in the solution and implementation of state projects, aimed at social stability of a society. The President of the MCCI told his colleagues about the forms of cooperation between business and government in Moscow, about the forms and mechanisms to support Moscow business during the severe restrictive measures and the pandemic lockdown.
He presented a number of the MCCI’s projects, aimed at developing the infrastructure of new territories, working with regional associations, using the graduates of Soviet and Russian Universities, developing professional continuing education, based on business needs. As a result of the meetings, initiatives are already emerging from the Croatian Chamber of Commerce, the Greek-Russian Chamber of Commerce and the Athens Chamber of Commerce and the Slovenian Chamber of Commerce in order to organize business forums in a hybrid format, allowing to restore some of the contacts and projects that have been abandoned or suspended.
On a special note, the parties expressed the need to develop informational exchange channels and implement projects, aimed at expanding objective data about the business and social environment in Russia (Moscow) and Greece, Croatia and Slovenia.
All the participants of the meetings noted, with satisfaction that, despite the difficult epidemiological situation, it is possible to maintain a channel of communication, both through joint country and industry online business conferences and missions, conducted by the parties, and through the work of representatives of the Chambers of Commerce. All representatives of the countries, visited by Mr. Platonov, expressed special gratitude to the MCCI’s Commissions on Foreign Economic Cooperation for their active support in the maintenance and establishment of business communications.