OREANDA-NEWS. CCI of Russia President Sergey Katyrin has had a meeting with CCI of Vietnam Chairman Vu Tien Loc at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Russia. Director of the CCI of Russia Department for Foreign Relations and Liaison with Business Councils Vladimir Padalko and representatives of the Business Council for Cooperation with Vietnam attended the meeting. Vietnam was represented by delegates from a number of large state industrial corporations.

Sergey Katyrin reminded the Vietnamese guests about a meeting with the President of Vietnam held at the Chamber in 2012 to discuss many issues of bilateral cooperation, which provoked a keen interest of the Russian business community, including businessmen from regions. Speaking of bilateral trade, the CCI of Russia head said it was growing but emphasized that the bilateral trade potential was far from being spent. For instance, Sergey Katyrin deems expedient further development of relations between small and medium businesses of the two countries and exchange of information about mutual business and investment options. The CCI of Russia and the CCI of Vietnam may cooperate fruitfully in the solution of these problems, the CCI of Russia President stressed.

CCI of Vietnam Chairman Vu Tien Loc noted that Russia and Vietnam had established relations of strategic partnership. In his opinion, the Chambers of Russia and Vietnam should have a similar relationship. Vu Tien Loc believes that not only nuclear energy, oil production and coal mining but also machine building, telecommunications, electronics, the tire industry, high-tech agriculture and some other sectors may become promising areas of mutually beneficial cooperation between Russia and Vietnam. Contemporary Vietnam is interested in signing a free trade agreement with member countries of the Customs Union. Big hopes for development of bilateral cooperation are pinned on business councils of the two countries, the CCI of Vietnam head underlined.

CCI of Russia President Sergey Katyrin noted that the CCI of Russia supported Vietnam’s accession to the free trade agreement, as that would significantly enlarge trade between Vietnam and Customs Union members. At the same time, strengthening of bilateral relations would require exchange of business information, more intensive exhibition activity and business missions to Russian and Vietnamese regions for familiarization with the industrial and investment potential of both countries. It is also necessary to use more actively the capacities of business councils of Russia and Vietnam that may render tangible assistance to bilateral cooperation.

Heads of large Vietnamese state corporations focused on hydrocarbon mining and rubber latex production presented main areas of their operations and prospects for bilateral cooperation with relevant Russian companies. Representatives of the Business Council for Cooperation with Vietnam told Vietnamese guests about activity of their organization, including results of a business trip to Vietnam made in April 2013.

Upon the end of the meeting, the Vietnamese delegation was offered a brief presentation of the National Association of Nano-Industry by Association President Mikhail Ananian.