Tomsk Chamber of Commerce and Industry held a meeting with the Consul General of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in Ekaterinburg

On October 19, Consul General of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in Ekaterinburg Mr. Vu Huy Mung made his first official visit to Tomsk.

  On October 19, Consul General of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in Ekaterinburg Mr. Vu Huy Mung made his first official visit to Tomsk. One of the first activities in the framework of the eventful business program of the two-day visit was the meeting of the Consul General with President of Tomsk Chamber of Commerce and Industry Arkady Eskin.

  Representatives of the Tomsk Region Administration, the Consulate General of Vietnam in Ekaterinburg, experts of the Center for Development of Foreign Economic Activity of Tomsk CCI also participated in the meeting held by Tomsk CCI.

  In his welcoming speech Arkady Eskin presented to the Consul General of Vietnam priorities of economic development of the Tomsk region, directions of business cooperation between Tomsk and Vietnamese businesses as well as a long-term experience of Tomsk CCI in the organization of the Russian-Vietnamese cooperation events. Thus, the Export Support Center of Tomsk CCI has already organized four business missions in Vietnam for Tomsk small and medium enterprises. The latest one took place in August of this year. Since 2011, about 50 industrial and innovative companies of Tomsk region have become the participants of the Tomsk CCI business missions to Vietnam. Many of them have reached mutually beneficial agreements with Vietnamese partners and entered the Asian market.

  In his turn, Mr. Vu Huy Mung mentioned traditionally close cooperative relations between Russia and Vietnam, a new impulse to the development of which was given by the ratification of the agreement on the Free Trade Zone between Vietnam and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). Since it is expected to increase the foreign trade turnover of two countries to 20 billion dollars by 2020, the main issues of the meeting in Tomsk CCI were key directions for further development of economic relations between Tomsk region and Vietnam.

  As possible directions for the development of Tomsk export to Vietnam there were identified educational services, innovations for the oil and gas industry, communication systems, pipeline fittings, instrument engineering, woodworking, crops, wild plants. Besides, the President of Tomsk CCI highlighted the importance of Vietnam to Tomsk business as "stepping stone" for entering the more closed Asian markets (Japan, China, ASEAN countries). Speaking about the prospects for Vietnamese import to Russia, the participants of the meeting named such areas as consumer goods and food industry.

  During the meeting the Consul General underlined that the interest of Vietnam to Tomsk region is primarily due to its rich scientific and technological potential and reputable educational complex. Tomsk Chamber of Commerce and Industry plays an important and active role in the development and strengthening of bilateral contacts. In addition, Mr. Vu Huy Mung expressed the intention to strengthen cooperation with Tomsk CCI in order to take the economic relations of Vietnam and Tomsk region to a new quality level. In particular, the parties agreed on the possible support of visit of Tomsk CCI delegation to Vietnam by the Consulate General.