On the 19th of March 2014 the meeting with delegation from the West-Vlaanderen (Belgium) was organized in Northern Chamber of Commerce and Industry.  Alexander Demon, head of the unit Logistics of the POM West-Vlaanderen (Regional Development Agency); Wim Stubbe, business development manager of AG Haven Oostende; Kevin Lyen, independent expert, company “Rebel” have participated in the meeting.

The aim of the visit was to analyze the prospects of further cooperation between the Murmansk region and West-Vlaanderen.

Anatoly Glushkov, the President of NCCI, has welcomed the participants of the meeting. He told Belgian colleagues about the main economic spheres of Murmansk region and activities of NCCI. Russian business representatives of Murmansk region informed the guests about activities of their organizations and expressed their interests concerning business cooperation with Belgium.

From the Russian side there were the following participants: Valery Tikhonchuk , First Deputy of Director General of the “Union of Fish producers of the North”; Petr Kolesnikov, Chief of Freight and 

Commercial Services of OAO "Murmansk Fishing Sea Port";  Dmitry Shcheblov , Specialist of Freight and Commercial Services of OAO "Murmansk Fishing Sea Port"; Elena Stepashkina, Deputy Director General for Commercial Affairs of OAO "Airport Murmansk"; Nikolay Nesterets; First Deputy Director General  of OAO "Airport Murmansk";  Nikolay Berezhnoy, General Director of the “Fund of capital repairs of the common property in apartment buildings in the Murmansk region”. 

The representatives of West-Vlaanderen told about main economic clusters and transport hubs of this Belgian county. They expressed their interest concerning the cooperation with Murmansk region in logistics.   They offered OAO “Airport Murmansk" to organize a new flight from the airport of Oostende. Russian colleagues were interested in the export of prime-class fresh fish to the Europe by plane. However the main question is how to organize the cargoes for returned flights and 

what Belgian goods are in demand in Murmansk region.  Business community of Murmansk region should identify the key interests in relation to import goods from Belgium. The colleagues have also discussed the questions of possible cooperation in tourism.

The representatives of West-Vlaanderen thanked the participants for warm welcome and productive meeting.  

 

 

Natalia Privalova, International Department Specialist,