OREANDA-NEWS. December 8, 2008. In talks with President of Serbia Boris Tadic, President of The Bank of Moscow Andrei Borodin signs Agreement on setting up a Russian-Serbian business dialogue.

A signing ceremony of Agreement on setting up a Russian-Serbian business dialogue was held in Belgrade, Republic of Serbia. The agreement was signed by Andrei Borodin, the President of The Bank of Moscow and Coordination Council Chairman of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs for the Central Federal District, and Branislav Grujic, the President of investment and construction holding PSP-Farman and Vice-President of the Russian-Serbian International Chamber of Commerce. The signing ceremony was attended by Boris Tadic, the President of Serbia, Georgy Poltavchenko, Plenipotentiary of the President of the Russian Federation in the Central Federal District and representatives of the Serbian Government and business community.

President of Serbia Boris Tadic supported the idea of setting up a Russian-Serbian business dialogue. According to the President, the Dialogue, which is taking shape, is to play a major role in the development of constructive relations between Russia and Serbia, and the signing of the agreement will broaden the cooperation between Russian and Serbian businesses.

In addressing the signing ceremony, Bank of Moscow President Andrei Borodin said: "We open the Dialogue amid an acute phase in the global financial crunch. Our task consists in not merely withstanding the negative trends, but also in seeking new forms and ways for economic and financial integration and creating conditions for a sustainable economic growth. The principles of confidence and responsibility that have always characterized relations between Russia and Serbia give grounds for optimism in assessing the prospects and moving ahead together."

According to Georgy Poltavchenko, Plenipotentiary of the President of the Russian Federation in the Central Federal District, "Russian-Serbian relations have been enjoying old-established history and traditions. Their mutual economic and financial interests provide a reliable basis for further development of bilateral relations. The Russian-Serbian Dialogue which is being set up can give a new impetus to the development of our cooperation."

Speaking of the new mechanism to be set up, Branislav Grujic noted that "the Russian-Serbian business dialogue is most suitable for interaction in ensuring sustainable development and prosperity of the two states, strengthening regional economic integration and successful implementation of joint projects with due account of the economic particularities of Russia and Serbia.

The signing ceremony of the Agreement was followed by discussions of cooperation prospects by Russian and Serbian representatives within the framework of sectoral working groups including those on energy, transport, metallurgy, construction, telecommunication, banking, agricultural sector, pharmaceutical industry and trade.

The Bank of Moscow is the first Russian lending institution to obtain a banking license from the National Bank of Serbia. Today The Bank of Moscow (Belgrade) works with corporate customers in the agriculture, metals and energy sectors.