On Friday, January 21, WTC Leeuwarden, together with the Netherlands-Russia Centre, organized individual consultation sessions for companies interested in doing business in Russia or expanding their activities in the region. Companies were given the opportunity to ask their questions in 45-minute talks. Also, the day was used to announce the Export Community CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States - including Russia).

Success in Russia can be achieved by using local partners, but how are they found and how do you deal with them? The Russian market offers many opportunities for business. However, trading with Russia requires a special approach: suppliers to the Russian market must comply with Russian legislation. The consultation offered the opportunity to learn more and get answers to these questions. In addition, questions about opportunities, culture, developments and possibilities could be answered during this session.

Russia expert Hans van Koningsbrugge, director of the Netherlands-Russia Centre and professor of Russian History and Politics at the University of Groningen, together with Pavel Siniaev (from their office in St. Petersburg, Russia) spoke to all entrepreneurs. The Netherlands-Russia Centre  helps companies explore the Russian market.

There was a lot of interest in the consults, especially given the recent international development that is going on, that we were booked up very quickly and we decided to schedule an extra day.