OREANDA-NEWS. The Russian-British Investment Forum RussiaTALK, an event annually organized by the Russo-British Chamber of Commerce (RBCC) jointly with the CCI of Russia, has taken place at the World Trade Center (Moscow) on Krasnopresnenskaya Embankment.

It was held on the sidelines of the 2nd International Foreign Investment Forum. RussiaTALK is an acknowledged floor for the dialog between business and authorities and the representation of Russian and British companies interests.

Prince Michael of Kent, who has been the patron of the Russo-British Chamber of Commerce for over 15 years, greeted the RussiaTALK audience. Prince Michael of Kent stressed that the RBCC and the CCI had done a lot for the development of bilateral relations. This year has witnessed an improvement in Russian-British relations, and as to Russian and British businesses, entrepreneurs have been cooperating actively for a long time and cooperation areas are broadening.

The RBCC, which will mark its centenary in three years, plays an active role in this process. The three years left before the jubilee will become new cooperation landmarks. Prince Michael of Kent pointed to the broad investment cooperation: Russian investors have been known to the UK for a rather long time and British investment in Russia has intensified lately. The RBCC organized a number of business trips of Russian entrepreneurs to the UK and British entrepreneurs to Russia. This forum will be followed by a trip to the Kaluga region, where the British company AstraZeneca is building a full-cycle pharmaceutical plant, the speaker said.

CCI of Russia Vice-President Georgy Petrov told the Forum that RussiaTALK traditionally brought together Russian and British businessmen, who discussed their plans and mapped out new cooperation areas. The CCI of Russia concentrates on the long-standing cooperation with the Russo-British Chamber of Commerce in its work on the British track.

The RBCC is the oldest in Russia; it was established in 1916 and invariably sought to promote mutually beneficial economic relations between the two countries. Russian-British relations have been improving, and economic contacts are on the rise. The RBCC and Prince Michael of Kent, a staunch supporter of maximally broad bilateral contacts, have contributed to that.

The year 2012 and the first half of 2013 were favorable for the growth of Russian-British trade and reciprocal investment, Georgy Petrov noted. Russia-UK trade grew 9% in 2012 to more than USD 23 billion, according to Russian customs reports. The United Kingdom is a key investor in Russia. Bilateral investments have been increasing steadily year after year.

The number of British companies, including small and medium businesses, which regard Russia as a cooperation partner, in particular, in high-tech industries, is enlarging. The trend is especially topical now that Russia has taken the path of modernization and innovations in the national economy. An important source of broader and deeper bilateral economic relations is cooperation between regions, first of all, in the solution of complex development problems of Russian regions, support to small and medium businesses and transportation and social infrastructure projects.

Georgy Petrov said he was confident that the Forum would make a serious contribution to the promotion of positive trends in bilateral trade and economic relations and assist in the implementation of joint projects.

Moscow government minister Sergey Cheremin spoke about investment options in the capital city, the need for investment in the “new Moscow”, major infrastructural projects, thousands of new jobs, and advanced technologies. Moscow has firmly established itself as a territory attractive to investors.

The forum speakers looked into and analyzed various areas of investment cooperation, the strengthening of investment stability in Russia, higher confidence of investors, development and interaction of small and medium businesses and other issues.

The Forum delegates presented their viewpoints and exchanged opinions on issues of mutual interest.