Harmonious Interaction and Understanding of the Future

Venue: Hall 8, International Exhibition Centre Kazan Expo, Kazan

Time: May 18, 2023, 10:00–11:20

Organiser: The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation.

Moderator: Sergey Katyrin, President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation

Speakers:

Ramazan Abdulatipov, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation;

Maxim Reshetnikov, Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation;

Ahmad Sengendo, OIC Assistant Secretary General for Economic Affairs;

Yousef Hasan Khalawi, Secretary General of the Islamic Chamber of Commerce;

Sergey Belyakov, Managing Director of Ozon Holding;

Datuk Azman bin Mohd Yusof, Secretary General of the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Costs of Living, Malaysia;

Sergey Shishkarev, Russian businessman, politician, public figure, founder and president of Delo Group.

The CCIs serve, among others, to design implementation mechanisms to strengthen cooperation, ensure information exchange, intensify joint work in the field of exhibition and fair activities, and contribute to the elimination of legislative barriers. The matters raised within the framework of the panel discussion included the effectiveness of mechanisms aimed at ensuring the socio-economic sustainability of countries and partners in the context of the ongoing transformation of the traditional global economic order, proposals to enhance cooperation with the OIC member states, and other topics.

The Minister of Economic Development of Russia Maxim Reshetnikov said that over the past 6 years Russia’s trade turnover with Islamic countries has doubled. In 2022, it hit the record high of $153.6 billion. The economy of Islamic countries is growing at a rate 1.5 times higher than the global average. The major achievements of cooperation were highlighted, namely the establishment of a single market with Iran, Indonesia, the UAE; the increased agricultural exports, including a 24% increase in grain exports, and the accreditation of the first halal certification body.

The OIC Assistant Secretary General for Economic Affairs Ahmad Sengendo noted that the Chambers of Commerce and Industry are doing significant work to promote private business and high halal product standards. He told about the ongoing programs of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and mentioned that a 25% increase of the number of OIS member states involved in international trade is planned.

Secretary General of the Islamic Chamber of Commerce Yousef Hasan Khalawi stressed that mutually favourable and successful cooperation is impossible without a strong private sector. The most sophisticated and efficient infrastructure facilities, such as airports, are managed by private companies.

The Managing Director of OZON Holding Sergey Belyakov is convinced that trade is an important element of the economy. OZON is a marketplace for 40+ countries. In his opinion, the main directions of development are to look for new payment systems and logistics corridors.

The need to create synergetic opportunities for cooperation, ensure the mutual mobility of human resources between countries to share best practices and combine efforts to achieve sustainable economic growth was discussed during the session.

Sergey Katyrin stated that the Government of Iran has resolved to provide 10 oil and gas fields for development to Russian companies.