Priority in building relations with Iraqi business should be given to developing personal communication with the business community of this country, said Vladimir Padalko, Vice President of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, opening the meeting of the Russian-Iraqi Business Council on July 4.

"We must develop personal connections, because we have recently become carried away by virtual contacts and have forgotten what the Baghdad Fair is," emphasized the Vice President of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, noting that the Chamber remains in close contact with the Russian government on issues of supporting business and foreign economic activity in the Iraqi direction. "Our task is to provide the right information support for the business community," he said. At the same time, Vladimir Padalko proposed recognizing the work of the Business Council as positive.

Chairman of the Russian-Iraqi Business Council Konstantin Basyuk, who chaired the meeting, noted in his speech the importance of developing relations with the Iraqi business community.

Executive Director of the Russian-Iraqi Business Council Maxim Malarchuk presented the general situation in Iraq and the main tasks for business development, including three main questions facing business circles: "How to deliver goods? How to pay? And what is the situation in terms of security?" He noted that business circles of many countries are successfully developing cooperation with Iraq, and it would be logical for Russia to follow this example. Maxim Malarchuk presented the main areas of cooperation with Iraqi business, noted the importance of finding Iraqi clients, providing logistics to Iraq, and conducting financial settlements.

The work plan of the Business Council approved at the meeting noted the need to intensify interaction with the Iraqi-Russian Business Council, build working relations with the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, and the Ministry of Economic Development.

The meeting was attended by Deputy Director of the Department for the Development of Bilateral Cooperation of the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation Renat Agliulin, Second Secretary of the Department of the Middle East and North Africa of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Ayaz Ismagilov, Honorary Representative of the Chamber in Iraq Said Badoi, President of the Moscow Chamber Vladimir Platonov, Head of the Department of Foreign Economic Relations and Foreign Trade of the Rostov Region CCI Anna Boyaryshnikova, President of the Industrial Consulting Agency Andrey Artyukh, General Director of Mashinoimport JSC Elvira Atayeva, Senior Vice President of GAP Resurs Dmitry Antonov and others.

At the meeting, Andrey Artyukh, President of the Industrial Consulting Agency, was elected Deputy Chairman of the Russian-Iraqi Business Council.

By Peter Cheremushkin, 

Press Service of the Chamber