Meeting between Co-Chairs of Intergovernmental Russian–Chilean Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation Sergey Dankvert and Andrés Rebolledo
On September 27, 2016 a meeting took place in Moscow between Sergey Dankvert, Head of the Russian Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (Rosselkhoznadzor), and Andrés Rebolledo, General Director of International Economic Relations at the Chilean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who co-chair the Intergovernmental Russian–Chilean Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation (IGC).
The Russian delegation to the negotiations included officials from the Government, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Agriculture, and the Ministry of Economic Development, as well as representatives from the National Committee for Economic Cooperation with Latin American Countries, Rosoboronexport, Rostec, the Roscongress Foundation, and Rosselkhoznadzor. Chile was represented by officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Embassy of Chile to the Russian Federation.
The discussion covered a wide range of issues including a careful analysis of the current state of and prospects for bilateral cooperation, and actions agreed at the 8th Session of the IGC held in Santiago on October 29–30, 2015.
Sergey Dankvert noted that trade turnover between the two countries had been reliably stable. A number of Chilean commodities, such as grapes, fish, and seafood products made up a significant proportion of Russian imports. Russia is currently interested in increasing and diversifying imports from Chile, including purchases of breeding and commercial cattle. Rosselkhoznadzor has scheduled a visit to Chile this year to discuss general issues of trade cooperation and to carry out inspections at cattle-breeding enterprises and fisheries that have expressed interest in exporting to Russia. Mr. Dankvert stressed that the significant export potential offered by Russian business has been underestimated and not fully exploited in Chile.
The Head of Rosselkhoznadzor also invited the Chilean delegation to take part in the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum to be held on June 1–3, 2017.
Andrés Rebolledo thanked Sergey Dankvert for organizing the meeting and reported that consultations between the Chilean delegation and the Eurasian Economic Commission during the week had been successful and that visits had been scheduled to Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) member states. He added that Chile was very open to considering options to bring the countries closer together, especially through the development of a free trade agreement with EAEU member states as a basis for future cooperation. Mr. Rebolledo also underlined his willingness to do everything in his power to help open up the Chilean market to various sectors of the Russian economy. Some Russian pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies are already engaged in exports to Chile. A memorandum of understanding signed this year between Chile’s Institute of Agricultural Research and the North Caucasian Regional Research Institute of Horticulture and Viticulture will also open up new opportunities for both countries.
It was agreed that more timely sharing of information between the relevant authorities of the two countries was required in order to finalize a number of general regulatory documents regarding bilateral cooperation in education, customs, and trade as soon as possible.
Financial aspects of Russian–Chilean military and technical cooperation, particularly in aviation, were also discussed. It was agreed that bilateral cooperation in the banking sector would be supported with the launch of new projects.
It was noted that the unique experience of the Chilean Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Pro Chile programme, which is designed to promote Chilean goods and services and attract foreign investment, could be helpful for Russia as it becomes a more confident global exporter of various products.
At the end of the meeting it was noted that the IGC serves as the basis for a deepening bilateral relationship in various sectors, such as investment, industry, agriculture, fishing, information technology, education, and research, and that it plays a critical role in equalizing the balance of trade between the two countries. The IGC will next meet in Moscow in June 2017, and representatives from the two countries’ business communities will participate.
Source: http://www.fsvps.ru/fsvps/news/18548.html (Russian)
