Netherlands-Russia Business Meet 2011

The first-ever Netherlands-Russia Business Meet, held in Amsterdam on 9 February, highlighted the strategic importance of the Dutch-Russian partnership and the opportunities for strengthening our bilateral relationship. The Business Meet was embedded in a cultural setting at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam: a Russian Music Festival, sponsored by ING. The interest in this event was overwhelming, with more than 400 participants from both Russia and the Netherlands (officials, business people and press).

The central theme of this first Netherlands-Russia Business Meet was: ‘A Partnership for Modernisation’. Russia’s economy is rapidly developing and recovering from the global financial and economic crisis. Prospects are positive and expected growth will largely outpace global growth, owing mainly to the effective anti-crisis measures and active modernisation and innovation strategy of the Russian government.

The Russian Federation and the Netherlands have a longstanding and solid economic relationship. Today, the Netherlands is Russia’s second largest foreign trade partner, accounting for around 9.4% of total Russian foreign trade revenue. However, there is ample scope to further intensify the economic and commercial ties between the two countries. ING took the initiative, by way of the Business Meet, to offer a platform for in-depth discussions on new business opportunities.

Exciting prospects

ING started its banking activities in Russia back in 1994 and is currently the only Dutch bank in the country. Diederik van Wassenaer, head of Global Clients: “We have entered a long-term partnership with this promising market and are committed to making a growing number of Dutch entrepreneurs as enthusiastic about the exciting prospects of doing business in Russia as we are. Our 420 staff in Russia as well as our ING colleagues in the Netherlands are dedicated to supporting companies in their Dutch-Russian activities.”

He continues: “The rapid recovery of the Russian economy from the economic downturn is impressive. Many new business opportunities are opening up on a daily basis. Exciting times are ahead, with the Winter Olympic Games taking place in Russia in 2014 and the Soccer World Cup in 2018. This offers new opportunities for the Dutch-Russian partnership. Let’s join hands and tap into the enormous business potential between our two countries and seize available opportunities.”

Consistent partner

Hans Grisel was appointed country manager three months ago. He is very positive about the Russian business potential: “Russia’s importance on the global stage will only continue to increase. Our clients come from the highest echelons – very large and generally not tied to one bank. However, I think many of them regard us as one of the leading banks, and that is the position we want to be in.”

ING has been a very consistent partner and this consistency has been good for our image. Grisel: “Internationally, we are very keen to help clients from within our network to find their way around the Russian market, whether those clients are from the Netherlands or South Korea. Our European Business Desk (EBD) supports all newcomers to the Russian market by offering a variety of services.

The Business Meet was organised by ING, Agency NL – NL EVD International and the Netherlands-Russia Council for Trade Promotion.

The special ING Reporter (Russia/Netherlands) contains information on the latest developments in Russian-Dutch business and economic relations.
The ING Reporter includes an interview with the Dutch Minister for Agriculture and Foreign Trade on the bilateral trade with Russia.