The Vice President of the Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr. Suren Vardanyan, welcomed the Turkish guests with a short presentation on the system of the Chambers of Commerce in Russia and about the Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Industry in particular. He outlined some differences in the systems of organization and functioning of the Chambers of Commerce in Russia and Turkey: primarily, this concerns membership, which, in the Russian Federation, unlike the Republic of Turkey, is purely voluntary. “Due to our very close contacts with the government, we are making every effort to be of interest for commercial enterprises. If we do not provide relevant services for business or support its promotion, we will be left without membership base. Even though membership fees in our budget account for only 10%, ” Mr. Vardanyan explained.
In response, the Head of the delegation of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Adana, Mr. Ayhan Kalich, thanked the MCCI for organizing the meeting and assured the Russian side of the Turkish interest in the development of trade relations between the two countries. As a general manager of a shoe manufacturing company, Mr. Kalich expressed his keen interest in entering the Russian market.
Mr. Vardanyan cautioned the guests that there is quite a tough competition in the leather and footwear industry in our country. Turkish businessmen were not deterred by this, since, as they put it, they "emphasise the quality and design of their products, while not inflating the price." To convince potential Russian partners of this, they are ready to organize a business mission to Adana in order to get acquainted with Turkish production.
As a result, the parties agreed to work on a joint program for the future trip. “If we receive a relevant proposal, we will discuss it. I suppose the delegation consisting of retailers and designers will be optimal: they are responsible for ensuring that goods are accepted by the Russian consumers.” - summed up the Vice-President of the MCCI.