Tatarstan President has met with Arab businessmen

September 6, Tatarstan President Mintimer Shaimiev met with Adnan Kassar, Chairman of the General Union of Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture for Arab Countries, and a group of Arab entrepreneurs.
State Advisor to the RT President on economic issues Evgeny Grishin, Minister of Industry and Commerce Aleksander Kogogin, Chairman of the Board of the Tatarstan Chamber of Commerce and Industry Shamil Ageyev, CEOs of OAO Tatneftekhiminvestholding and OAO Ak Bars Bank took part in the meeting.
The General Union of Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture for Arab Countries was established in 1951, with headquarters in Beirut , Lebanon . It is an Arab regional non-governmental organization that has the privilege of representing the Arab private sector on the regional and international levels. The establishment of the General Union was in response to growing awareness by the private sector for the need to pool Arab economic resources and markets with a view to enhance economic development. The General Union calls for strengthening economic integration and development among the Arab countries by coordinating their socio-economic development plans and policies. It represents the Arab private sector and emphasizes its role in accelerating economic growth and development. The General Union assumes a major role in promoting cooperation among Arab Chambers and coordinates their efforts towards regional cooperation. It works towards promoting Arab economic interests abroad, particularly with respect to exports and for the rationalization of imports and investments.
The President of Tatarstan had met representatives of the General union and Mr Adnan Kassar himself before. Last spring, during the RT delegation’s visit to Siria, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, Mintimer Shaimiev had a talk with leaders of the Organization of Islamic Conference and discussed prospective directions of cooperation between Tatarstan and Arab countries within the bounds of Russian-Arab trade and economic relations. This June, the head of the republic met with Adnan Kassar at the 11th St.Petersburg Economic Forum where it was decided to hold the next session of the Russian-Arab Council in Kazan.
The meeting at the Kazan Kremlin was the last event on the schedule of the Arab entrepreneurs’ visit to Kazan that started on Monday.
Greeting the guests, Mintimer Shaimiev noted that the General Union did a lot to help Russia and other countries learn more about the Arab world, revive economic ties between the Middle East region and the post-Soviet countries. “We ourselves feel Arab countries’ striving for maintaining closer cooperation with our republic”, the RT President said.
After the meeting, Adnan Kassar and Aleksander Kogogin briefed journalists.