On June 2, in Smolny (the official residence of the Governor of St. Petersburg) a meeting of heads of St. Petersburg profile Committees in the City Administration with a delegation of the Emirate of Sharjah (United Arab Emirates) took place.
On June 2, in Smolny (the official residence of the Governor of St. Petersburg) a meeting of heads of St. Petersburg profile Committees in the City Administration with a delegation of the Emirate of Sharjah (United Arab Emirates) took place.
The sides discussed development prospects of trade and economic relations, investment activity and cooperation in culture and tourism sphere.
On the part of St. Petersburg this meeting was attended by the Acting Chairman of the Committee for External Relations of St. Petersburg I.O. Lonsky, the Chairman of St. Petersburg Committee for Culture K.E. Sukhenko, the Acting Chairman of the Committee for Entrepreneurship and Consumer Market Development of St. Petersburg L.M. Gromova, the Acting Chairman of the Committee for Tourism Development of St. Petersburg R.N. Sachunova, the Deputy Chairman of the Committee for Industrial Policy and Innovations of St. Petersburg A.V. Vasiliev.
The Emirate Sharjah delegation included: vice president of Sharjah Chamber of Commerce & Industry Waleed BuKhatir, Chairman of Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority Khalid Al Midfa and the heads of Sharjah Investment and Development Authority for Tourism, as well as representatives of several UAE government agencies.
The economic, investment, industrial, scientific, cultural and tourist potential of the Northern capital was shown to the members of Sharjah delegation with a focus on the development of cooperation with the Persian Gulf countries.
The Acting Chairman of the Committee for External Relations of St. Petersburg I.O. Lonsky reminded that St. Petersburg and the Arab world have numerous historical and cultural ties. The city is considered to be one of the largest centers of oriental studies in Russia. Here is the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts, Russian Academy of Sciences. Valuable exhibits, including rare manuscripts and publications in Arabic language are stored in St. Petersburg museums and the National Library of Russia. St. Petersburg State University students studying the Arabic language, history and culture of the Arab countries on the eastern faculty become acknowledged Arabists (experts in Arab studies).
According to I.O. Lonsky, it provides a strong basis for further development of cooperation. Thus at the end of March this year in Smolny there was held the second meeting of the Russian-Emirates task group on regional and investment cooperation, chaired by the Deputy Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation Alexander Tsybulskiy and UAE Energy Minister Suhail Mohamed Faraj Al Mazrouei. During the meeting, Alexander Tsybulskiy called the UAE "one of Russia's leading trade and economic partners in the Middle East."
According to the Acting Chairman of the Committee for Tourism Development of St. Petersburg R.N. Sachunova, St. Petersburg is visited by about 6 million tourists annually. And this number can be significantly increased by the visitors from Arab countries. Our city, as a multicultural and multi-confessional one, is ready to develop the halal industry.
Sharjah delegation expressed the interest in further development of cooperation in all discussed spheres.
The Chairman of Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority Khalid Al Midfa said that St. Petersburg and the Emirate of Sharjah have much in common: each of them is considered a "cultural capital" in the country and a major tourist capital.
According to Khalid Al Midfa, 25 percent of tourists who visit the UAE are guests from various Russian regions and CIS countries. In this regard, the UAE attaches great importance to the development of the tourism industry and is interested in the opening of their tourist offices on the territory of Russia and CIS countries.
Among the priority spheres for further cooperation there were also identified small and medium-sized businesses support, development of cooperation in the pharmaceutical industry and promotion of cultural exchanges.
All meeting participants exchanged their contact information and agreed to continue the dialog in the regular course of business.
Reference: This is the first official visit of the delegation in St. Petersburg and generally in Russia, too. The purpose of the visit was to get acquainted with industrial, investment and tourism potential of the city, the working conditions for foreign companies in St. Petersburg, opportunities for business development.
During the visit, the delegation also visited the St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry as well as Saint Petersburg Center for Import substitution and localization.
The organizer of the visit – the Commission of the Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) on foreign economic cooperation with partners in the United Arab Emirates with assistance of the Russian-Emirati Business Council of the Russian Federation CCI.
Video of the meeting is in the news piece of the TV channel "St. Petersburg"