American Chamber of Commerce Considers Opening Kazan Office

The American Chamber of Commerce in Russia (AmCham Russia) opened a representative office in Kazan, its President in Russia Alexis Rodzianko told Izvestia.

According to him, the trade association is studying Russia’s southern regions and plans to bolster its presence in the Republic of Tatarstan, since it has extremely comfortable conditions for foreign companies. The head of the Tatarstan Development Agency Taliya Minullina told the newspaper that by the end of 2018, the United States had become the largest investor in the Tatarstan economy. The trade turnover of the U.S. and the region, despite sanctions, is growing annually by an average of 8-10%.

Rodzianko told the daily newspaper that Russia is a large promising market far from exhausting its potential and that Tatarstan is one of the best examples of this potential realized.

“Therefore, this region is naturally of interest to our companies. It would be nice to open a sales office in Kazan, and we are working on it. It is too early to say when it will open, but we are working on it,” he told the newspaper.

According to Rodzianko, business relations between Moscow and Washington have not been interrupted, but they could have been better, had it not been for geopolitical pressure.

Moreover, experts interviewed by Izvestia believe that Moscow and Washington might finally see a positive trend in restoring diplomatic staff in their embassies.

“It is difficult to say whether it will be possible to restore diplomatic personnel at the same level. However, it is clear that the current situation does not suit both sides. Mutual reductions affect not only ordinary citizens who cannot obtain a Russian or U.S. visa, but also diplomats and ministries experience difficulties with employee replacements,” Director of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Foundation for United States Studies at the Moscow State University Yuri Rogulev told the newspaper.