In late November a business mission was arranged from from the Arkhangelsk Oblast to Oslo. The business delegation was quite numerous and consisted of 22 people, among them representatives from the leading local companies. The delegation was headed by Andrey Dunaev, who is the Head of the Department for investment policy and external-economic activity in the Ministry of economic development of the Arkhangelsk Oblast. From the Norwegian side the trip was arranged by the Norwegian-Russian Chamber of Commerce and the Trade Representation of the Russian Federation in Norway. The joint office of the Information office of the Norwegian Barents Secretariat and the Honorary Consulate of Norway in Arkhangelsk also actively participated in the practical arrangement of the trip.
B2B meetings between Norwegian and Arkhangelsk businesses. Photo: Julia Iordanova
Two working days were quite busy with a plenary session, round tables, individual B2B meetings, and excursions over Telenor premises and to Tschudi Shipping. At the plenary session the participants learned about special features and differences in business culture in Norway and Russia, about the present-day Norwegian industry, about opportunities for export, financing and implementation of investment projects. Andrey Dunaev made a report about economic and investment potential of the Arkhangelsk Oblast. It was said in the report, among other things, that the main objective of the mission is to establish and develop a constructive dialogue between the business community from the Arkhangelsk Oblast and Norway, to search for and find points for contact between Russian and Norwegian businessmen.
The delegation was roughly divided into two groups – with the focus on shipbuilding and transport, and a group for tourism development, so the round tables were held simultaneously for both of these groups.
The participants from the industrial sector established contacts with potential partners during the at the round table and B2B meetings. Thus, for example, Nordavia had a meeting with Avinor where they discussed possibilities to launch a flight from Murmansk to Oslo. Oil-and-gas related companies from the Arkhangelsk Oblast (Association Sozvezdye, Sudoservice-Complex ltd., Savinsk Cement Plant) had a separate meeting with the Norwegian company Kvaerner and discussed possible cooperation within implementation of offshore oil and gas projects.
Tourist companies from Arkhangelsk presented the region as a tourist destination for the Norwegians. In their turn the Norwegian companies described an average Norwegian tourist as a guideline for the development of tourist products. This is a man of 60, most often a married couple, who are interested in culture and history of both their own country and Russia. Such a tourist wants to feel safe, so the personnel of tourist complexes must have at least elementary knowledge of English.
In the result it was agreed to arrange a trip by tourist companies from Norway to the Arkhangelsk Oblast next year and visit the local tourist complexes in the area.
- The business-mission was a success. The success was, among other things, in the fact that it demonstrated the willingness and preparedness of Arkhangelsk for cooperation and development of trade-economic and technological partnership, summarized Jarle Forbord, Managing Director of Norwegian-Russian Chamber of Commerce.
Text: Julia Iordanova
