Experts advocate adopting programme for protecting Russia's economic interests abroad

The government should take measures to protect Russia's economic interests abroad. This is the opinion of Alexander Ivanchenko, Dr.Sc.(Law), member of the presidium of the National Investment Council of Russia, which he expressed Wednesday at a Moscow press conference.

According to a RIA Novosti correspondent, Ivanchenko reported that the working group of the National Investment Council prepared a draft government programme for protecting Russia's economic interests abroad, which stipulates specific measures to upgrade the fundamentals of legislative regulation, international and legal means of protection, and interaction of government bodies with Russian foreign-trade participants. The draft also envisages creation of a legal mechanism for protecting Russian foreign-trade participants.

Ivanchenko stressed that the current state of foreign-economic activity is unfavourable, while the legal base is oriented mainly to the domestic market. He called on to consolidate efforts of government bodies and entrepreneurs to protect economic interests of the country abroad. Ivanchenko also noted that the working group of the National Investment Council had prepared a proposal to set up a Russian government commission for protecting economic interests of this country abroad. According to Alexander Ivanchenko, the government should lobby ideas of Russian foreign-trade participants.

In his turn chairman of the State Duma property committee Viktor Pleskachevsky supported the initiative of Russian business community. According to him, entrepreneurs' interests are foreign-economic interests of the country. The deputy noted that the State Duma is ready to take part in finishing documents and upgrading the legislative base in foreign-economic sphere.

The initiative of the National Investment Council was also supported by representatives of the Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade Georgy Gerodez and Dmitry Bystrov. According to them, their departments consider the initiative to be imminent and very important. The officials underscored that the ministries will take an active part in finishing the respective documents and protecting Russian business interests abroad together with entrepreneurs