Regional Briefing with the Republic of Komi

The American Chamber of Commerce in Russia will hold a regional briefing at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, October 17, 2008 at the Marriott Royal Aurora Hotel (Ul. Petrovka 11/20). Registration will begin at 1:30 p.m. Vladimir Torlopov, Head of the Republic of Komi, will discuss investment opportunities in his region. Mr. Torlopov will be accompanied by a high-level delegation of regional officials from the Republic.

AmCham Annual HR Conference

The 2008 Annual Human Resources Conference will take place from 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. on Friday, October 17, 2008 at the Marriott Royal Aurora Hotel (Ul. Petrovka 11/20, Moscow). Registration will start at 8:15 a.m. The topic for this unique, one-day seminar will be: Funky HR – Creative Approaches to Interesting Times.

AmCham Trade Mission to Yekaterinburg

On September 24, AmCham conducted a trade mission to Ekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk Oblast’s capital and the third largest city in Russia. During the mission, the AmCham delegation, comprising twenty-five people representing eighteen companies and the Chamber, met with Governor Eduard Rossel, First Deputy Chairman of the Government Mikhail Maximov, key economic ministers, the vice-mayor of the city, and local business leaders. The delegation also visited the construction site of a new Hyatt Hotel, which soon will be the largest hotel of the area.

AmCham's Participation in the 2008 Sochi International Investment Forum

The American Chamber of Commerce in Russia was an active participant in the 2008 Sochi International Investment Forum taking place September 18-20. On Saturday, September 20, AmCham President Andrew Somers co-chaired a U.S.-Russia Business Roundtable with Alexander Shokhin, President of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP), which was organized by AmCham and RSPP, and supported by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. A senior Russian government official and Russian and AmCham company executives took part in the discussion. The roundtable was attended by guests of the Forum and the press, and throughout the informative discussion, participants all generally stressed the importance of maintaining and developing business ties between the United States and Russia in the wake of financial turmoil and the Georgian conflict.

Dow Izolan Ceremony in Vladimir

On September 9, 2008, AmCham President Andrew Somers participated in a Dow Izolan groundbreaking ceremony in Vladimir city, 180 km from Moscow. Dow’s investment in a new plant for the production of polyurethane systems is approximately $40 million and the company expects to employ 130-140 people in the next twelve months.

AmCham Cooperation with the Federal Migration Service

During an AmCham breakfast held on August 5, representatives of the Federal Migration Service (FMS) provided details of the recent changes in the administrative regulations of public service procedures to issue resolutions for employment of foreign nationals and employment permits, work permits (plastic cards) and Russian visa invitation letters for foreign nationals. The FMS officials spoke on the application processes and addressed members' questions and concerns.

New administrative regulations of the Federal Migration Service (FMS) now make it possible to simultaneously submit via "one window" the required documents for obtaining permits 1) to hire foreign workers; 2) work permits for individuals (plastic cards) and 3) work visa invitations, after AmCham member companies have registration with the FMS. The new arrangement between the FMS and AmCham will reduce waiting times from four months to approximately one and a half months. Further information and application documents are available here.

Useful Links to the Federal Migration Service Website

Below are links to the official site of the Federal Migration Service with information on migration registration of foreign citizens in Russia and instructions for applying for Russian visas. Procedure for issuing and extending Russian visas - English | Russian Migration registration of foreign citizens in Russia - English | Russian

Calendar of legislative initiatives to be reviewed by the State Duma

A calendar of legislative initiatives to be reviewed by the State Duma has been created in the Legislative Updates section of the AmCham website. The calendar currently includes legislative acts to be reviewed on Sept. 3, Sept. 5, Sept. 10, Sept. 12, Sept. 17 and Sept. 19, 2008. The calendar may be accessed here.

U.S. Visa Premium Processing for AmCham Members

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In cooperation with the U.S. Embassy Consular Section AmCham has implemented a system to expedite the U.S. visa application process for AmCham members. Premium Processing allows AmCham member company employees to obtain a visa within five business days or less.
Please click here for further details.

AmCham Trade Mission to Kazan

The President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Russia, Andrew Somers, led a trade mission to the city of KAZAN in the Republic of Tatarstan on July 8 and 9. The mission was designed to facilitate new investment in the region and to promote the ongoing cooperation that now exists between AmCham members operating in Tatarstan and the Tatarstan government.

[Photograph: AmCham President Andrew Somers with Tatarstan President Mintimer Sharipovich Shaimiev - (click for larger image) ]

AmCham meets with Henry Kissinger

The American Chamber of Commerce in Russia held a breakfast round table meeting on June 18, 2008 with Henry Kissinger, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, former U.S. National Security Advisor and U.S. Secretary of State. Photographs from the event are available here.

AmCham takes part in three events at the St. Petersburg Economic Forum

The American Chamber of Commerce in Russia organized or co-organized three events at the 2008 St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

On June 7, the heads of twenty AmCham companies met for a roundtable, chaired by AmCham President Andrew Somers, at the Astoria Hotel. The roundtable provided an opportunity for AmCham member companies to discuss with U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez the challenges and opportunities of doing business in Russia. Secretary Gutierrez also came to the roundtable with members of the President’s Export Council, who will be presenting a report to President Bush.

U.S. - EU Dialogue on IPR Survey

As part of the "U.S. - EU Dialogue on IPR" and an agreement between the U.S. and EU on a joint IPR strategy in third countries such as Russia, the European Commission has requested that U.S. companies participate in a survey. Responses to the survey will be taken into consideration in order to allow the U.S. and the EU to define and review a “Strategy for the Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) in Third Countries." Unless otherwise stated, the questions should be answered for the period between April 1, 2005 and  April 1, 2008 in order to limit the scope of the analysis. If you would like to participate, please complete and send your responses to Tracy Theisen Perrelli, Intellectual Property Attaché, U.S. Foreign Commercial Service, Embassy of the United States in Moscow by e-mail tracy.perrelli@mail.doc.gov or Jakob Cornides, European Commission in Brussels at TRADE-IPR-SURVEY-2008@ec.europa.eu. If you have any questions you may contact Jacov by telephone at +32.2.2961139.