DATE: Friday, 7^th June 2013

TIME: 8 a.m. – 1 p.m.

VENUE: The Plaza, Enterprise Ireland, East Point Business Park, Dublin 3, map.

AGENDA:

• Registration & Networking.

• Keynote addresses by Minister for Small Business John Perry TD.

• Policy Document Draft Presentation, Discussion & Feedback Session: “Enhancing Bilateral Trade and Investments with Russia: Policy and Environment”.

• Sector Speaker Presentations and Q&A: “Russia – Opportunities & Challenges”.
  • Financial.
  • ICT & High Technology.
  • Education.
  • Construction.

• Panel Discussion and Q&A.
  • Logistics and Shipping – Customs and Duties.
  • Legal.
  • Tax.
  • Business Facilitation & Marketing.
  • Translations & Cross-cultural Negotiations.
  • Visas.

• Closing Comments.

RSVP: The event is free. Click on following link to register before COB on Tuesday, 4^th June 2013: www.eventsforce.net/enterpriseireland/791/register

For enquires, please contact Kate Kostyunina via email at kate.kostyunina@enterprise-ireland.com or by phone on 01 7272015 or Jen Condon via email at jc@irba.ie or by phone on 01 6424178.

BELARUS: Trade and investment opportunities with common economic space of 170 mln people

Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan have established and introduced a Customs Union and a common economic space creating a greater market of 170 million people, with $8,500 GDP per capita. This event will provide a chance to learn about possible trade and investment opportunities, and is intended for senior business leaders and sales directors.

DATE: Friday, 17^th May 2013

TIME: Breakfast served from 8.30am, with talks from 9am-10.30am.

VENUE: The Alexander Hotel, Merrion Square. www.alexanderhotel.ie

AGENDA:

Welcome Address

• H.E. Mr. Sergei Aleinik, Ambassador of Belarus to the UK and Northern Ireland, former representative to the UN

Country Introduction: Trading with and Investing in Belarus

• Mr. Dmitry Klevzhits, Head of Belarus National Agency of Investment and Privatization, which is a counterpart of IDA Ireland
• Mr. James Wilson, Director of the Belarus EU Business Council

Customs Union: What it means and how to trade with a wider market though Belarus

• Mr. Aleksandr Sidoruk, Customs Union expert from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus

Industry Speakers – Experience, Practical Tips and Where to Start

• Mr. Vincent Pierce, Honorary Consul of Belarus in Ireland and Director of Laurence Pierce Ltd, a major Irish wool exporter to Belarus
• Mrs. Tatiana Emelianova, Partner at Vlasova, Mikhel & Partners, a leading Belarus full service law firm

RSVP:

For enquiries, please contact Jennifer Condon on tel. +353 1 6424178 or email jc@irba.ie.

CRH in Ukraine: CRH entered the Ukraine market in 1999 with the acquisition of Podilsky Cement and in 2011 commissioned a state of the art dry process kiln at that facility with an annual clinker capacity of 2.3 million tonnes. Also in 2011, CRH acquired a majority stake in Odessa Cement.

Source: CRH plc.

Date: Tuesday, 16th April 2013, 12.45pm.
Venue: The Institute of International and European Affairs, 8 North Great George’s Street, Dublin 1
Food: Light lunch will be served

Overview: The planned launch of a Eurasian Economic Union in 2015 would be the most ambitious regional integration project in the post-Soviet space since 1991. Economic integration has already occurred in the region in the framework of the Customs Union and the Common Economic Space between Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan. Now, as the three states prepare for a much deeper level of economic union, Dmitry Polyanskiy will discuss the future of Eurasian economic integration and its impact on the member states and wider region.

About the Speaker: Dmitry Polyanskiy is Deputy Director of the First Department of the CIS Countries with responsibility for issues of Eurasian Economic Integration in the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From 2008 to 2011, he served as Minister-Counsellor at the Embassy of the Russian Federation in the Republic of Poland. Prior to this, he served in a number of other posts in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including Head of Section of the Department of European Cooperation and Counsellor at the Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the European Union.

Additional Information: www.iiea.com/events/eurasian-economic-integration—perspectives

RSVPs: Please register by emailing reception@iiea.com or by calling (01) 8746756, and quote your IRBA membership if applicable. The attendance fee is €25 for IRBA members and €50 for non-IRBA members.

We have been deeply honoured in To Russia With Love with the wonderful gift of a Russian Icon. It was presented to us in the Russian Embassy in Dublin this week by Ambassador Peshkov. Damien Clancy, and other board members were present for the presentation.

It was gifted to us by the Iconographer, Leonid Kurzenkov, after he heard about our work with the orphaned and abandoned children in many regions of Russia. He was deeply moved by the fact that Irish people have been working with the Russian Administration for the past fifteen years, and changing the lives of thousands of Russian children. Leonid Kurzenkov is a well know painter in Russia, he is a deeply religious and caring man. Leonid invited me to his artist’s studio in Moscow to see the Icon as it was being painted, this was a fantastic and rare opportunity.

St. Nicolas was chosen as the subject by my dear friend Andre Malakhov, as he felt we are like Santa Clause to the children. Coincidentally St. Nicholas is also the patron saint of orphaned children. The Russian Orthodox Priest in Dublin, Father Michael, blessed the icon at the ceremony in the Russian Embassy. We are planning to place it somewhere that people can appreciate the beauty of it. I’m sure it will generate great interest.

As you know we are continuing our daily work with our children, we work only with orphaned and abandoned children, all of who are blossoming under our care. We are so grateful to all those who help and support us. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Aughenish Aluminium for their donation to To Russia With Love. We are thrilled to have such a prestigious company supporting our work.

Like all charities at the moment we are struggling. If you feel it would be a good fit for your company to help Russian orphans, or you have a CSR policy that may help us, please contact us on 01 8532920, or at info@torussiawithlove.ie.

Economist Constantin Gurdgiev criticises current Government thinking; event hears of 19% increase in Irish exports to Russia

A business event co-hosted by Dublin City Council and the Ireland Russia Business Association (IRBA) on Monday, 11^th March 2013 heard Enterprise Ireland announce a 19% increase in Irish exports in goods to Russia from 2011 to 2012.  The event heard that the months through November  2012, the export figure from Ireland to Russia was €603million, excluding services.  Peter Finnegan, Director of Economy and International Relations with Dublin City Council commented that a key element of Ireland’s recovery rested with business development into the emerging Russian Market.  Business expansion into and inward investment from Russia had the potential to create significant jobs.  Dublin’s Russian Festival focused on the potential for increasing business with, and attracting investment from, Russia.

Chairman of the IRBA, respected economist and commentator Constantin Gurdgiev provided participants with an insight into the trade dynamics between Ireland and Russia.  He challenged current Irish policy and thinking.  He emphasised the urgent need to establish Ireland’s reputation as a platform for entry by companies from BRIC economies and other emerging and middle income markets into North American and European Markets.  He observed that in his view, too many Russians still think of Ireland as part of England and hold other stereotypes.  He also encouraged Irish business to see Russia as a platform for entry into the Central Asia Marketplace and also into the countries of the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States).

In a stinging criticism of what he considered the Irish tendency to overstate our advantages, Gurdgiev called on us to ask why we rate lower on many International Indicators than our real competitors such as many other small open economies around the world.  He argued that “National Government needed a more radical approach to “freeing” up the trading climate and start seeing our economy as a whole, with domestic economic policies acting to support external trade and inward investment as a part of holistic approach to development.”

Attended by over 70 Irish and Russian business leaders, the event heard about the practical experiences and the challenges faced Irish businesses looking to export into Russia and Russian companies doing business in Ireland.  Katerina Kostyunina, Business Development Advisor with Enterprise Ireland for High Growth Markets, noted that there are 138 Irish companies actively exporting to Russia, with 23 having a direct presence in the market.

The event was opened by Dublin’s Deputy Lord Mayor Cllr Ruairi McGinley who remarked:  “I welcome this opportunity to reinforce the friendship between Russia and Dublin.  We have a vibrant Russian presence in Dublin and I encourage the development of deeper links between our Communities.  Russia is one of the world’s growth economies and Dublin’s co-operation with Moscow helps both cities to expand business.”

This is the fourth Dublin City Festival of Russian Culture.  Dublin City Council and Moscow City Council have a Friendship agreement covering co-operation on economy, international education, research and innovation and culture. The Festival, including performance, film, talks, presentations and exhibitions, concludes on Thursday 14^th March.  The full programme of activities can be viewed on www.dublincity.ie/russianfestival.

ENDS

For further information contact Glenn Hogarty, Limelight Communications, 087 790 9670.

The event was the held in recognition of the importance of high calibre graduates with advanced financial and economic expertise in the public and private financial services sector with a focus on the Russian Federation. This Seminar explored perspectives of knowledge requirements in the public policy domain. The development of international public service linkages and strategic networks in the area of International Banking and Finance in the current economic environment were also discussed.

The event was attended by over 30 people including academics and banking practitioners. The new MSc in International Banking and Finance as launched by DIT was highlighted. This was of particular interest to the audience because it enables students to study for at least one semester in the Financial University, Moscow.

Speakers included:

Dr Jim Hanly, Dublin Institute of Technology: “Finance and Public Policy – skills deficits”

Dr Jim Hanly lectures in Finance in DIT where he is the chairperson of the MSc Finance programme committee. Jim’s research interests focus on energy economics, risk management, and hedging. Recent research has been published in the European Journal of Finance and in Energy Economics.

He discussed skills deficits with respect to finance and economics from the perspective of public policy in Ireland. In his presentation, Dr Hanly highlighted that many of the failures of public policy that led to Irelands banking crisis in recent years were in part attributable to the lack of qualified analysts and advisors within the various bodies available to Government. He went on to describe how various educational institutions such as DIT were now providing programmes such as the MSc in Finance which were producing graduates that would help fill this gap in expertise in future years

Prof. Nelli Rozina, Vice Rector/ Teaching Methodology: Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation: “New challenges for education in the Russian Federation“.

Professor Rozina , PhD in Pedagogy is the Head of Academic Affairs in the Financial University. She has worked to integrate the Russian Federation third level sector with the requirement of the Bologna Accord with the European Union and spoke of the key developments undertaken by the University in this regard.

Professor Irina Yarigina, Professor of International Banking and Finance, Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation: “International Banking Education“

Professor Irina Yarygina, Head of the Chair of International Banking and Finance in the Financial University informed the audience of the important role that this university plays in the education of professionals in the financial services industry, public bodies in the financial industry and government. The Financial University is within the top 5 universities in the Russian Federation and currently has over 80,000 students, 30, 000 of whom are on professional and technical skills programmes. Teaching takes place in both English and Russian language. It offers a number of Double Degree programmes within Europe including the University of London, the University of Portsmouth, the Dublin Institute of Technology, the Warsaw School of Economics and the Banking Institute of the Czech Republic.

The Russian Federation has the objective of developing Moscow as an International Financial Centre and this initiative was approved by government in February 2009. Many of the steps taken to improve the potential of this enterprise include the development of regulation and national payments and clearing procedures. The Russian Federation is tracking global tendencies in the internationalisation of finance with a view to developing its markets. The importance of high calibre graduates with advanced financial and economic expertise in the public and private financial services sector is one of the keys to the success of this venture.

Professor Yarigina sees initiatives such as the co- development of a Masters in International Banking and Finance which confers a Dual Award from DIT and the Financial University on graduates as a major strategic development of both Institutions.

Deirdre Ryan, Market Operations, Central Bank of Ireland: “Financial Turmoil, ECB Policy and the Central Bank of Ireland“

Deirdre Ryan from the Financial Markets Division of the Central Bank of Ireland gave a presentation on the monetary policy measures used by the ECB and the Eurosystem to tackle the on-going financial market crisis in the euro area. Deirdre’s presentation illustrated that large central bank balance sheet expansion was used to provide additional and longer-term funding to credit institutions during the crisis. In addition, non-standard Eurosystem measures included the purchase of Sovereign bonds and Covered Bonds through separate asset purchase programmes in order to help aid the smooth transmission of monetary policy through those segments of the financial markets. The net effect of these measures has been the availability of substantial levels of liquidity in the euro area to reduce the liquidity constraints that propagated much of the crisis, and reduced bond yields and improved bond market functioning to allow more effective monetary policy transmission.

The Market Operations Desk is responsible for the execution of all Eurosystem open market operations as well as monitoring money markets and bidding behaviour of Eurosystem counterparties. The Market Operations team also monitors and reports on financial market developments and actively participates in a number of Eurosystem Committees and Working Groups to discuss monetary policy implementation issues

White Tiger

Cineworld, Feb 17, 6.15pm.

Russian director Karen Shakhnazarov (Ward No. 6 – JDIFF 2010) never ceases to experiment, with both subject matter and style. WWII-set White Tiger is his first war film, a weird, wondrous tale of an eerie white fascist tank that appears, attacks and vanishes, leaving smouldering Russian tanks and cremated corpses in its wake.

Web links: Trailer, official web page.

jVivan las Antipodas

The Light House cinema, Feb 22, 8.40pm

Victor Kossakovsky’s captivating documentary takes a common musing – if you dug a hole straight through the planet, what would you see on the other side? – and pursues it to the ends of the earth.

Short Stories

The Lighthouse cinema, Feb 22, 6.15pm.

At the beginning of Mikhail Segal’s film, an author approaches a publishing house with a selection of stories and is told there is no market for them. However, as various people open the book, they each find themselves drawn into an imaginary reality.

For more information visit the website here: http://www.jdiff.com/index.php/guide/schedule

Dear IRBA Members, Friends & Business Associates,

To consolidate and expand the gains in our bilateral trade with Russia, Ireland needs to dramatically increase the range of goods and services marketed inside the Russian Federation, as well as expand the geographic reach of the current trade beyond the Central Regions, including Moscow and St. Petersburg, to regions well beyond the traditional zones of our exporters engagement in Russia.

To further deepen bilateral business links, Ireland also needs to offer Russia a significant and suitable trade and investment location platform via Ireland and into the broader EU.

Both objectives require establishing better targeted and often innovative systems of institutional and policy supports for Ireland-Russia bilateral trade here on the ground, as well as continuing building trade and investment facilitation links in Moscow and the rest of Russia.

The IRBA, with its membership well established in Irish bilateral trade relations with Russia is developing a strategy document for the Irish policymakers’ attention, to communicate both the need and the specific proposals for policy and institutional improvements that can help further increase our exports to Russia and develop investment inflows from Russia into Ireland.

With this in mind, we are starting a consultative process with our members on the topic of policies and measures needed to enhance trade and investment facilitation between Ireland and Russia. To launch this process we are holding a roundtable.

If you are interested in attending this roundtable meeting, please RSVP by email to jc@irba.ie or call +353 1 6424178 before COB on Friday, 15^th February 2013.

Please note: This is a members only event. Places are limited and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

Note: If you are unable to attend the roundtable but would like to contribute to the discussion, we also welcome written submissions and input.

Kind regards,

Constantin Gurdgiev

Chairman
Ireland Russia Business Association

The IRBA is run by a voluntary council representative of the sponsor, corporate and individual membership. Our council is elected once a year and this will be done at the AGM. The council meets about 8 times a year in the offices of the Irish Exporters Association. Those who would like to nominate a member for the Council, kindly contact IRBA secretary for nomination from and return that by COB on Monday, 25^th February 2013. We would also ask that to provide a brief background description of each nominee.

For queries contact secretary, Jennifer Condon.

Ireland Russia Business Association
28 Merrion Square
Dublin 2

Tel. +353  1 6424178
Fax. +353 1 6612315
Email. jc@irba.ie / jennifercondon@irishexporters.ie