Foreign businessmen of the Russian descent will gather in Moscow for an International Forum of Compatriots, which will be held for the first time this October. The authorities will summon ex-Russian citizens to turn their eyes homeward and contribute to its economy and to improving its image abroad.
“Moscow and Russia have long been supporting their compatriots abroad and may rightly expect compatriots to share something with their home city,” said Director of Moscow’s Foreign Economic and International Relations Department, Sergey Cheremin. “They will probably bless Moscow with their creative thinking, contacts, intellectual and material resources, and bolster up the growth of its economic potential.”
Several dozens of businesspeople and other Russians who left for other countries will participate in the forum, meetings and workshops to discuss possible vistas of collaboration.
“Do you happen to know anything about the role of the Indian expat community in the US?” Cheremin continued. “They are active in asset acquisition and use a considerable part of these resources for the cause of their historical homeland’s modernization. Russia should be no exception.”
In the words of Mr Cheremin, many ex-Russians have achieved great success in the West, earned solid capital, and stood at the helm of major companies. However, not all of them are doing anything for Russia, the public official admitted. Now the Moscow authorities will try to rouse the interest of compatriots in their municipal programs. “We want them to invest any resources in the Russian economy, financial or intellectual. They bless other economies with their talent and we’d like to see the same contribution in the national economy from them,” he said.
Besides material assets, the authorities expect some patriotic efforts from former Russians and want them to help building Moscow’s positive image in other countries. The Moscow government annually allocates funds earmarked as material aid for Russians residing abroad. In 2011 they allotted 211 million rubles and in 2012 – 300 million. This money goes to NGOs, to people of scanty means and veterans of WWII as the aid, and is used to finance various cultural events. Most of the funds are allocated for educational programs. Take the “Mayor’s” scholarships, for example, to encourage students studying at the Russian faculties of foreign universities (last year 11.5 mln. rubles were allocated for these purposes), or the Moscow Diploma of Graduation program that enables schoolchildren residing in the CIS to get remote education at Moscow schools.
President of the Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Industry Leonid Govorov who participated in preparations for the International Forum of Compatriots is positive that patriotism motivates some of the Russian businessmen to work in their historic homeland. Yet the patriotic summons alone will not be enough.
“The sense of commitment or affection is to be nurtured and played upon in a good sense,” states Govorov. “Nevertheless we should work with our businessmen living and doing business abroad by Western standards to which they are accustomed. They’ve got used to certain business standards and environment and will require the same conditions from Russia.
According to Govorov, the city is ready to offer beneficial terms of cooperation to these businesspeople. “There are a number of big projects aimed at the development of transport infrastructure, including industrial parks and ‘New Moscow’ projects,” he stated.
Alexandra Gavycheva
Source: Izvestia
