Such was the interest of Russian companies in talks with Croatian entrepreneurs that in the end we had to turn some of them down because all the seats in the conference hall were taken, said the Chairman of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Sergey Katyrin. He added that this showed that business people were aware that business talks should be held despite political difficulties, which he believed were transitory.
The Croatian delegation was headed by Economy Minister Ivan Vrdoljak and HGK Chairman Luka Burilovic. Vrdoljak said that all European companies, despite the present difficulties, were trying to continue economic cooperation in areas not covered by EU sanctions against Russia and to advance cooperation in the future.
"Croatian companies are doing the same," Vrdoljak said, adding that "we cannot wait for the sanctions to be lifted and pick up where we left off before the sanctions." He pointed out that a great deal of companies from non-EU countries "can't wait to take our place. That's why the Moscow Forum has two objectives: maintain economic cooperation and find room to improve these relations in the future."
This forum is an example of good cooperation between Croatian institutions, the Ministry, the HGK and the Investment and Competitiveness Agency, and reflects the interests of the companies, the Croatian minister said.
The Russian delegation was led by the Economic Development Ministry's Deputy Director for Europe, North America and International Organisations, Sergey Karaulov, Katyrin, and the Chairman of the Moscow Association of Entrepreneurs, Andrey Podenok.
Russian officials said that direct cooperation between Croatia and Russia was always good and business people knew how to find common ground quickly, citing the chemical industry, construction, shipbuilding, tourism and car industry as potential areas of cooperation. They also mentioned business opportunities in regions in Russia's interior, where markets are not so saturated as in big cities.
Burilovic underlined the need to support Croatian companies that had put a lot of effort and resources to break through on the Russian market. "They now need assistance and support to preserve their positions," he said, noting that the more than 300 participants in the forum were a good indicator of the need for such events and for institutional support.
Trade between Croatia and Russia in the first ten months of 2014 increased by 25 per cent from 2013. Russian exports to Croatia totalled USD 1.05 billion and Croatian exports to Russia reached USD 283 million.