Trade Mission to Rostov-sur-le-Don : Russia in a new light

After several trips to Moscow and St Petersburg in the wake of the 2015 Russian Year in Monaco, the Monaco Economic Board (MEB) set off to explore new horizons 17-20 September to a region with untapped potential. The destination was Rostov-sur-le-Don, a dynamic southern hub and an amazing discovery. 

Capital of Rostov Oblast in the Southern Federal District, Rostov-sur-le-Don is a thriving business and industrial centre at the heart of a particularly fertile agricultural region. It represents a crossroads with the Caucasus and benefits from an opening to the Azov Sea, all advantages the MEB, supported by its partners, had decided to explore further for the benefit of its members.

The Monegasque delegation comprised 16 people representing 12 organisations for a packed agenda arranged with the support of Monaco’s Russian Federation Embassy and its Honorary Consul in Rostov, Andrei Myshkovets. 

The first day started with a business forum organised by the Rostov-sur-le-Don Chamber of Commerce and Industry, attended by the region’s Deputy Governor, Victor Goncharov. Bilateral presentations helped establish the context for the mission and highlighted the activities of the diverse range of sectors* represented by the Monaco delegation. After the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the two Chambers of Commerce, there was a B2B session with no less than 70 one-to-one meetings taking place to start building bridges between Monaco and the Rostov region. The afternoon was spent visiting a sturgeon farm, before discussions continued at a dinner attended by notable players in the Russian business community.

The next day, the delegation attended a meeting in the region’s General Assembly attended by the Regional Deputy Minister of Economic Development, Roman Shekhovtsov, accompanied by several officials. It was an excellent opportunity to make top-level contacts with local officials and was followed by a tour of the French Flag Register (RIF) shipyard from which they gained instructive insight into Rostov’s industrial expertise. 

Finally, Monaco’s entrepreneurs had a glimpse of how far-flung the Principality’s influence extends. After Moscow’s Modern Art Museum, the Monaco, histoires d’artistes exhibition is now on at Rostov’s Museum of Fine Arts. Two visual artists, Gérard Pettiti and Claude Rosticher, are paying tribute to their illustrious Monegasque predecessors, and the delegation were given a very warm welcome, further strengthening cultural and economic ties. 

That evening, Monaco’s Ambassador to Russia, H.E. Mrs Mireille Pettiti, hosted a dinner for the delegation where they discussed their first impressions. Feedback is already very positive as all considered it to have been a remarkable opportunity to establish high-level contacts in a region with strong potential, thanks to this MEB-driven initiative.

MEB returns to Russia on 14 November to Saint-Petersburg, with Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo, as part of preparations for a Trade Mission scheduled for 2020.
 

Signing of MoU between Monaco Chamber of Commerce and the Rostov CCI by Guillaume Rose, MEB Executive Director General and Rostov region CCI President Nikolay Prissyazhnuk, attended by H.E. Mrs Mireille Pettiti, Monaco’s Ambassador in Russia, and Rostov region’s Deputy Governor Victor Goncharov.

The Monegasque delegation in Rostov-sur-le-Don