The activities of the Economic Forum of the Arab-Russian Business Council were held in Dubai (Expo Dubai 2020) under the title: "Russia and the Arab World: New Opportunities in the New Reality". This was organized jointly by the Union of Arab Chambers, the Russian Arab Business Council and the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry in the United Arab Emirates, with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Trade Affairs and International Cooperation and the Ministry of Commerce in the United Arab Emirates.
The forum was attended by about 400 participants from the Arab and Russian sides, including officials, business owners, companies and leaders of Arab Chambers and Federations, headed by the President of the Union of Arab Chambers Abdullah Muhammad Al Mazrouei.
The UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade, Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, stressed that the Arab-Russian Business Forum is an opportunity for joint regional action to advance the partnership between business communities in Arab countries and the Russian business community to a new level of growth and prosperity. He explained that "the Arab countries and Russia have strong historical relations, and on the bilateral level, the Emirati-Russian relations are based on solid foundations of friendship and joint cooperation, and this partnership is the fruit of a single vision and a common will of the leaderships of the two countries."
He pointed out that the UAE hosts more than 4,000 Russian companies that actively contribute to economic growth, and many Emirati companies investing in Russia continue to achieve successive successes and establish pioneering projects in Russia. Noting that the frameworks of cooperation between the Arab countries and the UAE with the Russian Federation include all economic sectors. He stressed that food security in particular is one of the most important axes of the important partnership between the two sides.
For his part, Secretary-General of the Union of Arab Chambers, Dr. Khaled Hanafi, said that despite the supply and supply problems and the economic downturn in the world, Arab-Russian relations witnessed an increase in the volume of trade exchange in large proportions, as the increase in the UAE reached 80 percent. Pointing out that the two parties are expected to increase the volume of business, not in terms of import and export, but by working together to form a strategic alliance in which Arab markets will be platforms to reach different parts of the world.
For her part, the economic advisor to the Prime Minister in Egypt, Jihan Saleh, praised the Russian-Egyptian relations, stressing that they are not modern and have a future and prospects. Considering that achieving sustainable relations requires placing Egypt and the Arab world on the value market. Saleh considered that the nuclear power plant in Egypt (the El-Dabaa project) is a promising project and is the fruit of cooperation with Russia in the field of clean energy technology. She indicated that the Russian industrial zone, which is being implemented for the first time in the economic zone of the Suez Canal in Egypt, has allocated a section for the Russian side in various sectors, including cars, as the localization of the automobile industry is a strategic goal for Egypt and Russia may be an important player in this field.
The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the UAE, Timur Zapirov, also spoke at the forum, on behalf of the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, conveying a message from the Russian leadership in which he praised the achievements made by the Arab-Russian Business Council during the years of its establishment in the field of business diversification and achieving communication that contributed to the completion of several projects, praising the constructive and positive atmosphere at Expo 2020 Dubai, which would advance cooperation Among the countries participating in the forum. He stressed that the Arab-Russian Business Council is an important station for discussing agreements on new joint projects between the Russian Federation and the countries of the Arab world.
The head of small and medium enterprises in Russia, Alexander Isaevich, highlighted the measures adopted by Russia to advance small and medium enterprises and ways of cooperating with their counterparts in the Arab countries. Noting that the desired cooperation does not mean targeting Arab markets, but rather mixing with their counterparts in Arab countries that have been able to achieve successes in various sectors.
The forum discussed several axes, including: finance and investment, information systems and digital economy, Russian-Arab cooperation in the agricultural sector, medicine and pharmacy sectors, it also includes a special session on the role of women entrepreneurs in light of the new global trends. During the forum, an agreement was signed between the Businesswomen's Council between the Arab and Russian sides to strengthen relations and exchange expertise and experiences.
To watch this event kindly click on the links below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWe4VCUmKUs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4GwRHoazsI
Source (Union of Arab Chambers)
