Moscow develops cooperation with Latin American countries
On April 23-28, Latin America hosted Days of Moscow for the first time.
This is an important historical event for the Russian capital, Minister of the Moscow Government and Head of the Moscow Department of External Economic and International Relations (MDEEIR) Sergey Cheremin said during the event’s opening ceremony in Lima.
During the opening ceremony, Mayor of Lima Luis Castañeda commented on the significance of the event. He said that Peruvians will be interested to learn about Russia’s cultural traditions and the place where the World Cup will be held in 2018. The ceremony was also attended by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Russia to Peru Andrey Guskov, as well as World Cup Ambassador and two-time Paralympic champion Olesya Vladykina.
The subject of football was an important part of the Days of Moscow program. There was an infopoint set up on the main square in Lima, where people can learn about how the city is preparing for the events. The “Athletic Moscow” photo exhibition was also located here.
Before the opening of the Days of Moscow, an official meeting took place between Sergey Cheremin and Luis Castañeda, during which the head of the MDEEIR thanked the Mayor of Lima for organizing the event. He invited Mr. Castañeda to visit the Moscow Urban Forum, which will take place on July 17-22, 2018, at Zaryadye Park.
The Minister announced that there will be a fun zone for Peru’s football team during the World Cup in the very center of Moscow, at the Manege. He pointed out that a lot of fans from Peru will be coming to the Russian capital for the matches. “We’re really waiting for fans from Peru. According to our sources, about 30,000 of them will be coming to Moscow for the World Cup. Of course, we will be hospitable and will help them out if they have any issues,” Sergey Cheremin said, adding that he hopes Peruvian fans will leave Moscow as “goodwill ambassadors.”
During negotiations, the two sides talked about the importance of economic cooperation between Moscow and Lima. “Our cities are roughly the same in terms of size, and we run into similar problems,” the head of the MDEEIR said, “These are problems that have to do with transportations, stable development, improving healthcare, education, the environment, culture, and tourism. And we’re ready to work closely with Lima in these spheres over the next few years.”
Forum-presentation of Moscow’s investment potential
Moscow is going to develop cooperation with Latin American countries, and Days of Moscow in Mexico will facilitate the development of mutually beneficial relations between the capitals of Russia and Mexico. This is what Sergey Cheremin, Minister of the Moscow Government and Head of the Moscow Department of External Economic and International Relations (MDEEIR), talked about during the forum-presentation on Moscow’s economic, investment, and tourist potential.
He said that foreign companies consider Moscow to be a unique macro region with major procurement programs for modern technology, goods, and services. The implementation of Moscow’s programs over the past few years has led to a significant improvement in people’s quality of life, which, according to the Minister, foreign investors must have noticed in spite of the sanctions. “On the one hand, people are talking about how it’s necessary to apply sanctions, but on the other hand, tens of thousands of companies from the US, Great Britain, Germany, France, and other countries continue to consider Moscow a very attractive market, especially since the city has a balanced budget,” Sergey Cheremin said, “Today, the volume of investments concentrated in Moscow’s economy amounts to over 270 billion USD, and we’re seeing increases from one year to the next. Moreover, over the past few years, the government of the Russian capital has made considerable efforts to improve the business climate and eliminate administrative barriers.”
Because Russia is hosting the World Cup, Moscow is expecting a several fold increase in tourist volumes this year. “According to information from FIFA, Mexican fans bought 51,600 tickets to football matches. This means that the number of tourists visiting Moscow will increase several fold in 2018,” said Alexey Tikhonenko, head of the Moscow Department of Sports and Tourism, during the presentation.
During his presentation at the forum, Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Russia to Mexico Eduard Malayan said that Days of Moscow in Mexico, which include a large-scale cultural and athletic program, “are a clear confirmation of friendship, cooperation, and mutual understanding that exists between our countries.”
