Russia – Turkey

Time: May 18, 2023, 17:20–18:40

Organiser: Trade Representation of the Russian Federation in Turkey, the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs

Venue: Halls 3–4, International Exhibition Centre Kazan Expo, Kazan

Moderator: Arsen Ayupov, Secretary General of the Russian-Turkish Dialogue Association, Head of the Russian-Turkish Working Group at the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs

Speakers:

Mehmet Samsar, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Turkey to the Russian Federation;

Aidar Gashigullin, Trade Representative of the Russian Federation in the Republic of Turkey;

Sergey Shklyaev, Head of the Department of Trade Barriers, Currency and Export Control of the Federal Customs Service of Russia;

Yusuf Karakas, Acting Director General of the Directorate of International Trade in Services of the Ministry of Trade of the Republic of Turkey;

Taryk Akin, General Director for Islamic Banking, Financial Office of Turkey;

Sergey Belyakov, Managing Director, OZON Holding;

Oktem Ecevit, General Director, Coşkunöz Alabuga LLC;

Ahmed Azimov, Head of the Centre for International Strategic Initiatives;

Yunus Ete, Chairperson of the Association of International Exhibition Organizers;

Dmitry Prokhorenko, Director for Overseas Network Development of Russian Export Centre JSC;

German Maslov, Vice-President of Linear and Logistics Division, FESCO Transportation Group;

Uzeyir Yışık, Deputy Secretary General of the Union of Service Exporters of Turkey.

Turkey is a dynamically developing regional leader and an actor with a developed economy. Russia and Turkey have close and promising trade and economic, industrial, scientific, technical, cultural and humanitarian relations. Over the past 20 years, Turkey, a Russia’s closest neighbour, has become its important foreign trade partner. Mutual trade has doubled in the past year and reached $65 billion. Taking into account the value of services, including tourism, and ongoing investment projects, this figure is approaching $100 billion.

Russia and Tatarstan attach great importance to bilateral cooperation; moreover, Tatarstan has a special significance for Turkey. This was stated by Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey in Russia Mehmet Samsar.

Trade Representative of the Russian Federation in the Republic of Turkey Aidar Gashigullin noted that Russia and Turkey actively cooperate in various sectors: industry, mechanical engineering, shipbuilding, light and glass industries, household equipment manufacturing, and petrochemicals. He also stressed that today there is a significant potential both for the export of Russian IT projects to Turkey and for joint work with Turkish partners in this sphere. “We have a significant potential to export in Turkey and to develop joint projects with Turkish participation. This will certainly require system-level efforts. One of these is the establishment of a working group for digitalization within the framework of a multidisciplinary intergovernmental Russian-Turkish commission,” stated Aidar Gashigullin.

Special attention within the framework of the session was paid to the support of exporters. Director for Overseas Network Development of Russian Export Centre JSC Dmitry Prokhorenko said that in January-April 2023 the Russian Export Centre’s group provided financial and non-financial support to 300 exporters to Turkey.

The matters of goods transportation across the Russian-Turkish border and measures taken by the Customs Service of the Russian Federation to simplify the declaration of goods and currency imported into the country were discussed. Examples of successful Russian-Turkish businesses and potential spheres to further strengthen cooperation were presented.