ICC Russian members uphold "highest standards" of international business
Budapest, 5 May 2000 - A group of 25 leading Russian companies and business associations today vowed to contribute to the development of free markets, trade liberalization and the promotion of democratic values in their country.
Describing themselves as a new generation of entrepreneurs, they said: "this new generation is keen to promote widespread economic reform and will assume a key role in assisting the new Russian government to shape economic strategy."
Oleg Deripaska, President of Sibirsky Aluminium Group, presented a statement setting out commitments by the group, all of them already direct members of the International Chamber of Commerce.
The statement was issued at a news conference during ICC's World Congress and on the eve of a meeting of the World Council of ICC, which is to rule on the admission of ICC Russia as ICC's 72nd national committee. Provided the Council approves, the 25 direct members will form the nucleus of the new ICC national committee.
ICC national committees are required to be fully representative of the main economic sectors of their country, to be able to participate fully in ICC's work as the organization that speaks for world business, and to be independent of government influence in order to retain freedom of action.
The statement said the 25 companies have already confirmed their resolve "to follow the highest international standards of business practice both in and outside Russia." It added: "we would be happy to see these standards become common practice in all sectors of the Russian economy."
The companies said that Russia has the potential to become one of the world's most exciting markets, with abundant natural wealth in the form of exploitable resources, a large skilled workforce, and tens of thousands of new private enterprises of every size that want to enter the mainstream of the world economy.
More and more Russian companies were determined to make corporate management and financial reporting transparent, to comply with the rules of business ethics, and to fight against 'shadow' business activities, the statement said.
The Russian ICC direct members said they intended to play a full part in the global rule-making function of ICC. "As ICC's members in Russia, we are resolved to abide by and promote ICC voluntary codes and standards and hope that our contribution to the work of ICC will be both positive and substantial."
ICC's Russian direct members include: Sibirsky Aluminum Group, RAO UESR (Unified Energy Sytem
s of Russia), Vneshtorgbank (Bank for Foreign Trade), Vnesheconombank, Vimpel Communications, Troike Dialog Investment Bank, Doninvest Financial and Industrial Group, Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation, Wimm-Bill-Dunn Food Manufacturing Company.
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