A delegation of the Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Industry, headed by its President, Mr. Vladimir Platonov, arrived in Mauritius on a business mission. The key event of the visit was the Russian-Mauritius Investment and Trade Forum. 

The delegation, consisting of the Head of the separate division of the MCCI, “Zelenograd”, Mr. Vladimir Mokhte, as well as business representatives, including members of the Guild of the digital economy and block chain technologies of the Chamber, Mr. Anatoly Goltsov, the President of the Lipetsk Chamber of Commerce and Industry took part in the Forum. 

Speaking at the Forum, the President of the MCCI, Mr. Platonov, noted that diplomatic relations between Russia and Mauritius were established 50 years ago. He expressed hope for establishing mutually beneficial economic ties and spoke about the history of entrepreneurial development in Moscow: “Over the past 30 years, Moscow has become a powerful industrial center that lives by autonomous laws, developing the economy. On November 21, the Moscow City Duma will vote on the budget of the capital, the revenue from which is projected to be more than 30 billion euros. More than 26% of these funds are accrued from small and medium-sized businesses. 

The Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Industry is a full-fledged member in the process of advancing equitable entrepreneurship. “We act on the mandated laws of the city of Moscow and help find a compromise between the interests of business and government, as well as provide a number of unique services to businessmen, including issuing certificates of conformity, ATA carnets, etc.,” Vladimir Platonov emphasized. He spoke about large-scale projects implemented in Moscow, particularly about the development of the territories of the New Moscow and renovation. 

The President of the Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Industry presented a new electronic platform launched by the Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Industry - "Business Market ". “Out of almost 4 thousand members of the Chamber, more than 80% produce goods or provide services. In addition to the possibility to place commercial offers on the “Business Market” platform free of charge, companies also receive discounts,” he said. 

Mr. Mokhte described the range of activities of the Guild of High-Tech Enterprises of the Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the concept for developing the business space of the Smart city. The members of the Guild of Digital Economy and Blockchain Technologies of the MCCI shared their experiences in the field of digitalization. 

Within the framework of the Forum, the Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Industry signed memorandums of bilateral acceptance with the Council for Economic Development of the Republic of Mauritius and its Chamber of Commerce and Industry. 

The program of the Forum also included business visits to the Mauritius Logistics Port of The Mauritius Freeport, a plant for the production of high-precision equipment, textiles, clothing manufacturing, real estate complexes, resort complexes and a factory for the production of rum. 
 
The business program of the visit included a meeting with the Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Mauritius, Ms. Dwarka Cannabadi, in which she exchanged views on opportunities for cooperation, involving the field of tourism. The island of Mauritius has a distinct ecosystem with a unique flora and fauna, which attracts millions of tourists from all over the world. Russian travelers are just beginning to discover this amazing island. 
 
In addition, the participants of the business mission will meet with the leaders of key government ministries of the Republic of Mauritius responsible for innovation, technology, industry, tourism, financial services and B2B negotiations. 
 
Reference 

Mauritius is located in the western part of the Indian Ocean, 900 km east of Madagascar. Since 2015, the Government of Mauritius has been pursuing a new economic policy, aimed at actively attracting investment. In recent years, the country's economy has grown steadily at 3.7%. In 2017, its GDP growth was 3.7%, the expected growth in 2018 is 4%. At the same time, the growth in the construction sector was 10.1%, in the tourism sector 6.9%, in the financial services sector 12.1%. In terms of global indices, Mauritius ranks first among African countries in competition development, banking, degree of economic freedom, level of development of information technology. The most attractive areas for investment are the construction industry, real estate and logistics. Also of great importance is also the sphere of IT, financial services. Blockchain technologies, renewable energy are actively developing. 
The Republic of Mauritius signed the Agreement on the moratorium on double taxation with 35 countries, including Russia. Among the advantages of doing business is the absence of requirements for the minimum authorized capital, the ability to register a company online in two hours.