Roscongress Foundation in Bahrain: New Horizons and Opportunities for Dialogue at the International Women’s Economic Forum
Roscongress Foundation continues to strengthen international ties by participating in key events on the global agenda. At the International Women’s Economic Forum held in Manama, the capital of the Kingdom of Bahrain, representatives of the Foundation's ecosystem – the Healthy Life platform – took part in the discussion of topical issues of international cooperation. The central theme of the event was the role of women leaders in accelerating global progress.
The Russian delegation was headed by Galina Karelova, Chairperson of the Council of the Eurasian Women’s Forum. The Forum programme included meetings with Abdullah bin Adel Abdullah Fakhro, Minister of Industry and Trade of the Kingdom; Fatou Haidara, Deputy to Director General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), as well as Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, Head of the Supreme Council for Health Affairs, and Professor Ahmed Mohamed Al Ansari, Director General of the National Health Regulatory Authority of the Kingdom of Bahrain.
The meetings focused on cooperation in healthcare, exchange of best practices and introduction of current trends in medicine. Representatives of the Russian delegation presented key national forums such as Healthy Life, which will be held on 4–6 March 2025 in Moscow, and the National Healthcare Congress. The delegation from Bahrain was invited to visit Russia’s leading pharmaceutical production facilities and medical centres as part of their official visit to the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF 2025).
According to Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the Russian Federation Ahmed Abdulrahman Al Saati: “Next year we celebrate the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations with Russia. That is why we have chosen the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum as a platform to present our business, culture and tourism to the Russian audience. We expect a great success, with the participation of many officials. We are pleased with our strong relationship with Roscongress. We have been participating in SPIEF for about 20 years and are now expanding our presence to other forums. We want to be part of all key economic and cultural events in Russia.”
Prospects for cooperation in the pharmaceutical industry became one of the key topics of discussion. The parties agreed to develop a roadmap for joint work and prepare projects for SPIEF 2025, during which the ‘Ensuring Drug Security’ Russian Pharmaceutical Forum will be held on 18 June. “For several years, we have been actively increasing and strengthening our interaction with the Kingdom of Bahrain in the health, socio-economic and commercial and industrial sectors. Working together helps to improve the quality of people’s lives and opens up new perspectives for sharing experience and knowledge. The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum is one of the most important platforms for establishing trusting ties and effective bilateral dialogue between representatives of government authorities and the business community of both countries. This year at the upcoming forum in St. Petersburg we expect a large delegation of colleagues from the Kingdom of Bahrain, where we will be able to summarize the results of our joint activities and outline further ways of cooperation. This includes summarizing the interim results of cooperation in the field of pharmaceuticals, which we discussed at the meeting. The creation of joint ventures and the launch of new projects in innovative pharmaceuticals will make it possible to pool efforts, knowledge and resources for the development and production of modern medicines. These aspects will be among the central topics at the Ensuring Drug Security Forum, which will take place on the opening day of SPIEF,” said Anastasia Stolkova, First Deputy CEO for Development of the Roscongress Foundation; Director of the RC-Medicine Foundation; member of the Healthcare Commission of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation.
Women’s leadership became another important area of cooperation. At a meeting with UNIDO Deputy Director General Fatou Haidara, initiatives aimed at developing women’s entrepreneurship were discussed. Galina Karelova noted the fruitful interaction between the Council of the Eurasian Women’s Forum and UNIDO, stressing the organization’s contribution to projects related to the support of women leaders.
Senator Galina Karelova also met with the heads of the upper and lower chambers of the National Assembly (Parliament) of Bahrain – Ali Bin Saleh Al-Saleh, Chairman of the Advisory Council of the National Assembly of Bahrain, and Ahmed bin Salman Al-Musallam, Speaker of the Bahraini Chamber of Deputies.
The meeting discussed the development of inter-parliamentary cooperation between Russia and Bahrain in 2025. The development of the women’s agenda was one of the topics. The representatives of Bahrain noted the importance of coinciding views on its development in both countries. In 2025, Russia and Bahrain will cooperate in 10 areas – in accordance with the Memorandum on Women’s Empowerment, which was signed at the Fourth Eurasian Women’s Forum between the EWF Council and the Community of African and Arab Women Parliamentarians.
The International Women’s Economic Forum in Bahrain confirmed the high level of partnership between Russia and the Kingdom. The agreements reached and plans outlined open new horizons for cooperation in healthcare, pharmaceuticals and support for women’s leadership. The participation of the Bahraini delegation in SPIEF 2025 will be an important step towards strengthening bilateral ties.
