The MCCI conducted a business Forum dedicated to the 15th anniversary of the partnership between Moscow and Riga. On December 15, the Moscow Chamber of Commerce hosted a Forum of business cooperation "Riga - Moscow: 15 years of partnership".
The event was attended by the Chairman of the Riga City Council Development Committee, Mr. Maxim Tolstoy, Deputy Head of the Moscow Department of Foreign Economic and International Relations, Mr. Andrey Chizhov, Head of the Riga City Council representative offices in Moscow, Ms. Iveta Sers, the Vice President of the MCCI, Mr. Suren Vardanyan.
Participants of the meeting noted that although 15 years, in terms of history, is not a very long period, the development of relations between Moscow and Riga have been distinguished by productivity, effectiveness, and dynamism.
During the course of the Forum, a wide range of topics of interest, regarding mutual accomplishments as well as the shared experiences of the capitals of Russia and Latvia were discussed.
In his presentation, the Deputy Head of the Moscow Department of Fuel and Energy Sector, Mr. Ivan Novitsky, described to Latvian colleagues the energy-saving activities that are being carried out and planned for the residential housing facilities in Moscow. He said that in the capital there is a sufficiently large number of homes, in which the actual heat consumption is much higher than the normative mean. In these buildings if comprehensive measures would be carried out, it would result in lowering power consumption of up to 60 percent. Potential investment for this project amounts to 5.8 bn. rubles.
In turn, the Deputy of the Riga City Council Development Committee, Mr.ValeryPetrov, noted that in Riga, the burden of maintenance and property services is fully the responsibility of the residents and that the State has no right to finance the repair or maintenance of residential housing complexes. Therefore, decisions on the implementation of more favorable energy-saving technologies are made by the citizens themselves, which reduces their costs of housing and communal services.
In addition to the topics of housing and communal services, special attention of the participants of the Forum was devoted to the prospects of development of reciprocal tourism between the two cities. Mr. Tolstoy spoke about the tourism potential of Riga. Currently, the health tourism strategy "Riga Initiative" is being designed and implemented. The program’s name was recognized and acknowledged by the WHO (World Health Organization). The speaker emphasized the fact that the distance between Moscow and Riga is less than 1000 km, and for the residents of the capital of Russia traveling to Riga is a budget option to visit the eco-friendly country, immerse themselves into the atmosphere of the Middle Ages. In the capital of Latvia, the tourists have an opportunity to participate in a variety of major events (festivals, concerts, festivals), there are constantly being held, sample Latvian cuisine and participate in leisure activities. And to make travel not only interesting but fast and inexpensive, travelers are encouraged to take advantage of the airline «Air Baltik», the services of which were described by its Director for Russia and CIS, Mr. Andrew Larchenko.
In turn, the advisor for the development of tourist infrastructure and tourism services of the Office of the Department of Sports and Tourism of Moscow, Mr. Maxim Gumenyuk, told the Latvian guests about how the tourist infrastructure of Moscow is being transformed. In particular, he noted that on October 1, 2016, 805 hotel facilities have been officially registered in Moscow, including 174 three-star hotels, 91 two-star ones and 214 hostels. The issues of transportation services for tourists are being addressed, including enhancing arrangements for tours and sightseeing groups. In addition, a program of efficient parking lots for tourist buses is being introduced, as well as new excursion routes, including the expansion of the network of the tourist information centers.
After the official part of the Forum was concluded, participants held a series of B2B meetings in an informal atmosphere to the sounds of the Latvian folk music performed by a live musical ensemble.