Upcoming Chamber Events

U.S. Consul General Briefs AmCham on New U.S.-Russia Visa Agreement

During an AmCham briefing held on September 17, Doron Bard, Consul General at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, briefed over 75 AmCham executives on the new U.S.-Russia visa agreement.

The agreement, which entered force on September 9, 2012, provides for the issue of three-year, multiple-entry visas as the standard “default” visa for U.S. citizens visiting Russia and Russian citizens visiting the United States, and the issue of one-year, multiple-entry visas for diplomatic and official visa holders on temporary assignments. The agreement also streamlines the visa issuance process by reducing the amount of documentation required, and sets out commitments for visa processing times and reduced visa fees for certain types of visas.

The briefing was moderated by AmCham President & CEO Andrew Somers and held at the Intercontinental Hotel in Moscow.

Deputy Mayor of Moscow Cites Andrew Somers in the Drive to Protect Entrepreneurial Rights

In a Vedomosti interview on September 12, Deputy Moscow Mayor cited Andrew Somers for his important role in the drive to protect entrepreneurial rights. The interview is available on the Vedomosti website.

AmCham at the 2012 APEC Summit in Vladivostok

An AmCham delegation led by AmCham President & CEO Andrew Somers actively took part in the 20th Annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ summit, hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin in Vladivostok last week, and during which U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and RF Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov signed several agreements of cooperation. Click here for more information.

Head of Agency for Strategic Initiatives Briefs AmCham

On August 9, 2012, head of the Agency for Strategic Initiatives Andrey Nikitin [photograph: left] briefed AmCham executives on the Agency's work to improve the business environment in Russia. The Agency was commissioned by (the then) RF Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on May 17, 2011, with the goal of creating opportunities for the development of young, ambitious leaders capable of taking Russia to a prominent global position and to improve the attractiveness of Russia as a country to both live and work.

Going forward AmCham plans to involve interested member companies in the work of the agency. Possible areas of cooperation include providing qualified staff to entrepreneurs, increasing the availability of financial resources, removing infrastructure-related limitations, improving customs and taxation regulations, and increasing the investment attractiveness of Russian regions.

The August 9 briefing was moderated by AmCham President & CEO Andrew Somers. Coverage of the event by the Agency of Strategic Initiatives press service can be found here.

AmCham Gets Clarity Regarding New RF NGO Bill

On July 11, the President of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, Alexander Shokhin, in remarks to Prime Minister Medvedev in the closed session referred to above, asked that business associations be exempted from a new NGO bill regarding “foreign agencies,” specifically citing Andrew Somers in his comments ("Нам жалко терять Эндрю Соммерса.") For media coverage about AmCham and the new NGO bill, please click here for Kommersant and here for The Moscow Times.

Also, On Wednesday, July 18, State Duma Deputy Alexander Petrov met with AmCham’s NGO-Corporate Partnership Committee to discuss the new NGO legislation. He addressed the purpose and scope of the law, of which he is a co-drafter, and took questions from committee members and visiting journalists, and saying that the legislation was not aimed at AmCham or other business associations. For coverage of this event, please click here for the New York Times and here for The Moscow Times.

AmCham President Meets with Prime Minister in Ekaterinburg

On July 11, AmCham President & CEO Andrew Somers participated in a closed session with Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev at the Ekaterinburg forum, INNOPROM, and asked the Prime Minster’s support in facilitating the import of encrypted testing platforms to R&D centers to evaluate innovative software.

In separate meetings, Mr. Somers also met Vladislav Tetyukhin, General Director of Vsmpo-Avisma, and with the Chairman of Sverdlovsk Oblast, Denis Pasler, and other regional government officials to discuss cooperation in order to boost the level of American business in the region. To view local media coverage, please click here.

Ex-Im Bank Vice President Briefs AmCham Members

The American Chamber of Commerce in Russia held a briefing on July 18 with Raymond Ellis, Vice President of the Export-Import Bank of the United States, who spoke on Export-Import Bank's programs for existing and future businesses in Russia. Mr. Ellis [photograph: right] is Vice President of the Global Business Development Division of Ex-Im Bank's Export Finance Group. The division oversees business development activities worldwide and for certain industry sectors, such as medical equipment and infrastructure.

Mr. Ellis began his career at Ex-Im Bank in 1975 as a financial analyst/loan officer in the Bank Guarantee Division before moving to the Asia Division overseeing the Bank's long-term programs for Southeast Asia. He left in 1982 to join the private sector where he held executive management positions in international tour companies and in leading U.S. banks in Chicago, Illinois. He returned to Ex-Im Bank in 1999.

The briefing was moderated by AmCham President & CEO Andrew Somers.

AmCham Hosts Roundtable with Congressional Delegation

On July 3, AmCham President and CEO Andrew Somers hosted and chaired a roundtable briefing with a Congressional delegation led by Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-CA). The other members of the delegation were Chief Deputy Whip Peter Roskam (R-IL), Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX), Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX), Rep. Adrian Smith (R-NE), Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA), Rep. Tom Rooney (R-FL), and Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA). Ambassador Michael McFaul also took part.

AmCham at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum

During the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, hosted by RF President Vladimir Putin, AmCham President and CEO Andre Somers participated in the Russian-American Business Dialogue of U.S. and Russian business and government leaders organized by the Alexander Shokhin, President of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs.

Mr. Somers also chaired an AmCham Roundtable featuring American-company global CEOs, Deputy USTR Miriam Sapiro, Ambassador Michael McFaul, and Ex-Im Chairman Fred Hochberg. Participating CEOs included Dan Ackerson, of GM, Jim Rogers of Eastman Chemical, and Dennis Nally of PwC. The roundtable was sponsored by Pfizer.

AmCham also arranged meetings between AmCham-member companies and federal and regional authorities on a variety of investment issues throughout the Forum. 

June 26 Duma Hearing 'On the Status of Execution of Regional Healthcare Modernization Programs in the Federal Subjects'

AmCham arranged participation for 6 AmCham member companies in a June 26, 2012 RF State Duma Hearing 'On the Status of Execution of Regional Healthcare Modernization Programs in the Federal Subjects.' The participating AmCham member companies were Abbott, Microsoft (Healthcare Division), GSK, AstraZeneca, Worldwide Clinical Trials, and Strategic Investment Group (Healthcare Division). Other participants included high-level RF Ministry of Health (MoH) officials - newly-appointed Deputy Ministers Andrey Yurin and Igor Kagramanyan; Accounts Chamber representatives; Duma Deputies; representatives of 31 Federal Subjects; as well as public organizations, Russian and foreign pharmaceutical and medical devices companies and healthcare professionals. The hearing was presided by Sergey Dorofeev, Deputy Head of the Duma Healthcare Committee. A summary of major highlights of the hearing is available.

Volgograd Oblast Governor Sergey Bozhenov Briefs AmCham Executives

The American Chamber of Commerce held a regional briefing on June 15 with a high-level delegation from Volgograd Oblast led by Governor Sergey Bozhenov. Governor Bozhenov addressed over 50 AmCham member company executives on the investment potential of his region, after which Aleksander Saneev, Head of the Department of Foreign Trade Cooperation of the Ministry of the Economy, Foreign Economic Relations and Investment of Volgograd Oblast, made a detailed presentation on investment opportunities. Following a question and answer session, brief presentations were made by Sergio Bosio of Praxair and Irina Arkhipova of The Coca-Cola Company on their experience investing in Volgograd Oblast.

The event was moderated by AmCham President & CEO Andrew Somers and hosted by the InterContinental Moscow Tverskaya. [photograph from left: Volgograd Oblast Governor Sergey Bozhenov; AmCham President & CEO Andrew Somers]

Click here for a full summary of the event | Click here for television news coverage

Congratulations to the Winners of the 15th Annual AmCham Golf Tournament

The American Chamber of Commerce in Russia held its 15th Annual AmCham Golf Tournament on Friday, June 15, 2012, at Pestovo Golf Club. This year, Amsted Rail #1 seized first place with best net score, with Radius Group and Sberbank taking second and third places respectively. Ecolab was the best gross scoring team.

AmCham thanks all the teams for participating in the event. Photographs of the winning teams can be found here.

United States Trade Representative Ambassador Ron Kirk Addresses AmCham

AmCham President & CEO Andrew Somers hosted an AmCham breakfast briefing on June 7 with United States Trade Representative (USTR) Ambassador Ron Kirk. Ambassador Kirk made a presentation entitled On The Threshold Of Russia's World Trade Organization (WTO) Membership, before answering questions on Russia's accession process, the potential impact of Russia's WTO membership on U.S. businesses, and the importance of repealing the Jackson-Vanik amendment.

[photograph from left: AmCham President & CEO Andrew Somers, USTR Ambassador Ron Kirk]

A few days earlier on June 4-5, Ambassador Kirk participated in Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Ministers Responsible for Trade (MRT) meetings in Kazan. The Kazan meetings were part of the ongoing preparations for the 24th annual APEC summit, to be held in September on Russkiy Island, off the coast of Vladivostok.

Ambassador Kirk is a member of President Obama’s Cabinet and serves as the President's principal trade advisor, negotiator, and spokesperson on trade issues.

Media Coverage: Associated Press

Chairman of the RF State Duma Healthcare Committee Briefs Members

Sergey Kalashnikov, Chairman of the RF State Duma Healthcare Committee, briefed over 70 AmCham executives on May 15 on issues related to the development of healthcare legislation in Russia.

Following his address, Mr. Kalashnikov answered numerous questions from guests and made proposals for ongoing cooperation and discussion with the private sector.

AmCham President & CEO Andrew Somers moderated the event at the Ararat Park Hyatt Hotel in Moscow.

Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin Addresses AmCham Members

During a special AmCham membership meeting held on April 17 at Petrovsky Palace in Moscow, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin addressed AmCham members on his vision for Moscow’s development. Following the Mayor's address, there were several brief presentations by AmCham member companies representing sectors of special interest to the city.

[photograph from left: Sergey Sobyanin, Mayor of Moscow; Andrew Somers, AmCham President & CEO - click here for more photographs]

The event concluded with a two-hour reception, during which members had a unique opportunity to speak with both Mayor Sobyanin and key staff from the Moscow City Administration, including Deputy Mayor of Moscow Andrey Sharonov.

Media coverage of the event: The Moscow Times | The Moscow Post | TV Center | VM Daily | Lenta.ru | Realty | Capital of the Country | Echo Moscow

Moscow City Government coverage: transcript of Mayor Sobyanin's speech | photographs

AmCham Announces This Year's Gala Award Winners

AmCham held its 18th Annual Gala Awards Dinner on April 21, 2012 at the Swissôtel Krasnye Holmy Moscow Conference Center.

We congratulate the award winners: ● Company of the Year - ExxonMobil ● Businessperson of the Year - Jean-Luc Duramy, DuPont ● SME of the Year - Intermark Auto Leasing Group ● Committee Co-Chairs of the Year - NGO-Corporate Partnership Committee Co-Chairs: Tatiana Avramenko, Citi Russia, Tatiana Zadirako, United Way.

Sverdlovsk Oblast Governor Alexander Misharin Briefs AmCham Members

The American Chamber of Commerce held a regional briefing on April 18 with a high-level delegation from Sverdlovsk Oblast led by Governor Alexander Misharin. Governor Misharin briefed over 60 AmCham member company executives on the investment potential of his region, after which presentations were made by Artemiy Kyzlasov, General Director of the Titanium Valley Management Company; Sergey Lednov, Business Development Director for VSMPO-AVISMA Corporation; Igor Gerdt, Deputy General Director and Project Head for the Tagil Chemical Park; and Andrey Besedin, President of the Urals Chamber of Trade and Industry. The event was moderated by AmCham President & CEO Andrew Somers and hosted by the Swissôtel Krasnye Holmy. Photographs from the event are available here.

[photograph from left: Sverdlovsk Oblast Governor Alexander Misharin; AmCham President & CEO Andrew Somers]

AmCham High-Level Follow-Up Discussion with RF Federal Antimonopoly Service Head Igor Artemiev

As an important follow-up to the September 2011 AmCham policy event on the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and Russian Competition Law, the American Chamber of Commerce in Russia held a second high-level discussion on April 12 with Igor Artemiev, Head of the RF Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS). Mr. Artemiev briefed over 250 AmCham member company executives on recent developments in Russian Antitrust Law, touching on the “Third Anti-Monopoly Package” of legislative amendments, amendments to the law on foreign investment in strategic sectors, FCPA issues in Russia and FAS policies on termination of local distributors on grounds of suspected corruption.

The half-day round table was held at the the InterContinental Moscow Tverskaya in conjunction with the RF Federal Antimonopoly Service and the U.S. Embassy in Moscow. Photographs and presentations made during the event are available here.

RF President Medvedev Awards Order of Friendship to Andrew Somers

On Monday, June 20, 2011, at his Gorki residence, Russian Federation President Dmitry Medvedev presented Andrew B. Somers, President and CEO of the American Chamber of Commerce in Russia, with the Order of Friendship, the highest Russian state order that can be bestowed on a foreign citizen.
 
 Upon receiving the Order, Mr. Somers said to President Medvedev: “It is with the utmost respect and appreciation that I accept this great honor of the Russian Federation. This generous acknowledgement of my efforts with the American Chamber of Commerce in Russia in supporting you, President Medvedev, and President Obama, in your historic mission to create a lasting stable political relationship, founded in large part on a much deeper trade and investment engagement, is most warmly received. Your forceful determination, President Medvedev, to innovate and modernize the economy, to minimize corruption, and to maximize rule of law is fundamental to a thriving investment climate.”
 
 The Order of Friendship is awarded to individuals for their significant contribution to strengthening friendship and cooperation between nations and nationalities, for notable achievements in developing the economic and scientific potential of Russia, for exceptional work in bringing together and mutually enriching national cultures, and for strengthening peace and friendship between countries. The Order of Friendship was instituted by the RF President on March 2, 1994.

U.S. Vice President Addresses AmCham

The American Chamber of Commerce in Russia held its 11th Annual Investment Conference on March 10, 2011 at Lomonosov Moscow State University. The conference featured a keynote address by U.S. Vice President Joe Biden entitled Building On The Reset. Click here for more information, including media coverage of the event and the presentations made during the panel discussions. To read media coverage of the Vice President’s speech to AmCham, please click on one of the following: The New York Times; The Moscow Times; The Wall Street Journal; The Washington Post; Voice of America; and RIA Novosti.

Andrew Somers on BBC Promoting Regional Investment

Please click to view a BBC Russia Business Profile featuring Andrew Somers, President & CEO of the American Chamber of Commerce in Russia.

Moscow Business Summit

Click here to download AmCham's publication on the Moscow Business Summit.

U.S. President Barack Obama and RF President Dmitri Medvedev addressed the Moscow Business Summit at the historic Manezh exhibition hall on July 7, 2009. The Business Summit featured an unprecedented number of US and Russian global CEO participants in 3 panels aimed at making recommendations for governmental action to spur trade and investment.

One-Window for Russian visas & work permits | Premium Processing for U.S. visas

An improved one-window service for work permits & related documents is in place for AmCham member companies. This AmCham service is free of charge. Representatives of AmCham member companies should bring their documents to the AmCham office at Dolgorukovskaya 7, 14th floor (Ул. Долгоруковская 7, 14ый этаж). An authorized, dedicated AmCham member of staff collects submitted documents, transfers them to the Federal Migration Service offices, and transfers processed applications back to the AmCham office for collection by members.

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.

Front Page Archive

Looking for an article you saw on the front page of the AmCham website but can no longer find it? Check out the AmCham Front Page Archive.