France Tech exhibition to impart new dynamics to cooperation of Russian, French enterprises

The France Tech exhibition to be held at the Moscow Expo Center on October 7-10 will impart new dynamics to cooperation between Russian and French enterprises. The opinion was voiced by minister counselor, head of the mission for economic affairs of the French Embassy to Russia Paul Hunsinger at a press conference in Moscow.

"In previous months the exhibition's organizers actively provided the French business with information about Russia," he pointed out. "As a result, 150 French companies from such industries as computer science and communication, transport, aviation and space, power industry, construction will present their achievements at the Moscow exhibition. This way we want to impart new dynamics to cooperation between Russian and French enterprises," he explained.

The exhibition will be the next in the row of important events that "marked intensified economic relations between Russia and France," the counselor believes. For example, on September 26th Moscow hosted a session of the Russian-French Council on economic, financial, industrial and trade issues, while on October 6th it will host an inter-governmental seminar involving the two countries' prime ministers, Hunsinger announced.

The France Tech does not aim only at demonstrating France's scientific and technical achievements, said Russian First Deputy Minister for Industry, Science and Technology Andrei Fursenko pointed out at the press conference. "This is a place for the two countries to coordinate their scientific and technical policies," he said.

The priorities of Russian-French cooperation in the economic spheres are optic electronics, bio technologies and nanotechnologies, he added.

According to the French organizers of the exhibition, the intensity of Russian-French trade relations has significantly increased recently. Thus, French exports to Russia grew by 9.4 per cent over the first six months of 2003 reaching €1,234,000,000 while the country's imports from Russia increased by 15.6 per cent during the same period and amounted to €3,033,000,000.