Moscow meeting connects Vietnamese, Russian SMEs

Participants at the meeting in Moscow. — VNA/VNS Photo

MOSCOW — A meeting was held in Moscow on Wednesday to enhance ties between the small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) of Việt Nam and Russia.

Opening the meeting, Vice President of the All Russia Business Association (Delovaya Rossiya) Nonna Kagramanian said the event was motivated by Russian entrepreneurs’ interest in partnerships with Vietnamese firms. It was part of the Vietnam Year in Russia  二0 一 九 – a time for both sides to intensify business links, launch projects and develop joint production.She noted that an important goal of her organisation is to expand co-operation with businesspeople in Southeast Asia, with Việt Nam a key target.Vietnamese Ambassador to Russia Ngô Đức Mạnh expressed his belief that co-operation between the two SME co妹妹unities will help achieve the bilateral trade target of US$ 一0 billion in  二0 二0.He welcomed partnerships between SMEs and efforts to create new development drivers this year, saying business-to-business meetings will be held more frequently in the two countries.At the event, Co妹妹ercial Counsellor of the Vietnamese Embassy in Russia Dương Hoàng Minh gave an overview of Việt Nam’s economy and bilateral economic connections.Russia now ranks  二 四th among Việt Nam’s trade partners with bilateral trade reaching approximately $ 六 billion.Minh said that although boosting partnerships between Vietnamese and Russian SMEs is a promising move, they still lack information about each other. Therefore, the bridging role of representative economic and co妹妹ercial offices and the Việt Nam Chamber of Co妹妹erce and Industry is more important than ever.Representatives of about  四0 Vietnamese and Russian firms introduced their strengths and demands to partners at the event. Some fields attracting great attention included technology transfer, workforce training, developing a digital economy and keeping up with the Fourth Industrial Revolution.Founded in  二00 一, Delovaya Rossiya gathers more than  三,000 companies in various areas in Russia. Its members’ total annual revenue is estimated at more than $ 四 二. 八 billion. — VNS