More than 500 participants gathered at the VI International Forum on Foreign Economic Activity in Nizhny Novgorod

On October 21, the VI International Forum on Foreign Economic Activity “Challenges and Solutions for Business: Territory of Successful Practices” started in Nizhny Novgorod at the site of the Mayak Academy. The forum brought together more than 500 participants – representatives of government, business and the expert community from Russia and nine foreign countries.

The development of international trade is being carried out in accordance with the goals and objectives of the national project “International Cooperation and Export”, initiated by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The forum opened with a plenary session “From Challenges to Opportunities: Territory of Successful Practices in a Multipolar World”. Governor of the Nizhny Novgorod Region Gleb Nikitin and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Maria Zakharova addressed the participants with a welcoming speech via video link.

“It is a great honor for us to host business leaders, representatives of the diplomatic corps, international organizations and the expert community on Nizhny Novgorod soil. Already today, the Nizhny Novgorod Region trades with more than 120 countries of the world. We are creating a reliable platform for long-term partnership here, in the “heart” of Russia. It is our plan to hold an international economic forum in Nizhny Novgorod annually. I wish all participants a productive work program,” Gleb Nikitin said in his address.

Maria Zakharova noted that Nizhny Novgorod is historically one of the most important trade and industrial centers of Russia.

“It is no coincidence that the forum is being held here today, one of the key topics of which is the search for opportunities for the development of international interregional ties in the current conditions of the formation and strengthening of multipolarity. After all, the diplomacy of regions and cities makes an invaluable contribution to the efforts of the entire state to develop international cooperation, strengthen mutual understanding, and allows maintaining and strengthening dialogue even in the most difficult times of disagreement,” the deputy head of the Foreign Ministry emphasized in her address.

The plenary session was attended by Deputy Governor of the Nizhny Novgorod Region Andrey Sanosyan, Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Nizhny Novgorod Region Dmitry Starostin, Ambassador of the Republic of Senegal to the Russian Federation Stephane Sylvain Sambou, Chairman of the Union of Chinese Entrepreneurs in Russia Zhou Liqun, President of the Indian Business Alliance Sammy Manoj Kotwani, Head of the Representative Office of the Chinese Committee for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) Gao Qi, Director of the Agency for Information Technologies of the Republic of Srpska Vishnich Drazen, Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania to the Russian Federation Sidati Sheikh Ould Ahmed Aisha, as well as founder of the Foreign Economic Activity Forum, managing partner of GC “Just” Lyudmila Tesyolkina.

The participants of the plenary session discussed the prospects for the development of trade relations between countries. During the day, the forum guests will take part in a number of discussions. The focus is on the diversification of export activities, the integration of Russian regions into international trade, the development of logistics infrastructure, the reduction of costs of foreign economic activity and the training of personnel for foreign economic activity. It is also planned to sign agreements in the field of education and international cooperation, as well as hold panel and expert sessions.