As part of Irtibat, an initiative launched by Dubai Customs to nurture closer ties with foreign business communities based in the Emirate, Dubai Customs received a dignitary delegation from the Russian Federation and Russian Business Council in Dubai. The delegation also comprised representatives from Russian businesses based in Dubai.

H.E. Ahmed Mahboob Musabih, Director of Dubai Customs, along with Abdullah Al Khaja, Executive Director of Customer Management Division at Dubai Customs, and a host of DC senior officials, received the Russian delegation, headed by H.E. Gocha Buachidze, Consul General of the Russian Federation in Dubai, and Dr. Igor Egorov, Chairman of the Russian Business Council in Dubai.

Stressing on Dubai Customs strive to promote stronger ties with the Russian diplomatic corps and business community, Musabih said: The Dubai-Russia trade in the first nine months of 2014 amounted to AED 7 billion, while in 2013 it scored AED 11 billion. Facilitating business flow into the Emirate comes in line with Dubai Plan 2021, which aims at setting a strong foothold for Dubai on the regional and global trade landscape.
Dubai Customs constantly seeks to enhance its relationships with foreign business sectors in support of Dubais economic growth. In light of the recently-launched Dubai Strategic Plan 2021, the emirates economic perspective consists in further facilitating business growth to uphold Dubais regional and global position as a hub of trade, travel and services which will subsequently provide a strong and integrated basis in preparation for hosting World Expo 2020, he stated.

H.E. Ahmed Mahboob Musabih spoke about the role of the GCC Customs Union in developing trade between GCC states on one side and international economic clusters on the other. He also pinpointed that Dubai provides a flexible variety of investment platforms in compliance with investors specific needs, whether running their Dubai-based businesses within the boundaries of the free zones or elsewhere in the open market venues.
Consul General of the Russian Federation in Dubai, H.E. Gocha Buachidze, lauded Dubai Customs commitment to boosting cooperation with the Russian business community and said that The Russian Federation strives to boost economic relations with the UAE as well. Russian businesses possess a solid presence in UAE markets. As many as 3,000 Russian businesses are investing in the UAE, with the lion share going to Dubai.
The Chairman of the Russian Business Council in Dubai, Dr. Igor Egorov, said: We look for more cooperation and coordination with Dubai Customs. Such visits and regular meetings will definitely result in a fast-paced trade growth between the two countries.

On the other hand, Edris Behzad, Client Management Director at Dubai Customs, said that they are seeking to improve communication with the Russian Business Council and Russian companies, as part of DCs Irtibat initiative. We will arrange for more meetings with Russian businesses to get a closer perspective on their work requirements, in a bid to deliver better tailored customs services to them, Behzad remarked.
Ahmed Dhimish, Customs Audit Expert at Dubai Customs, delivered a presentation in Russian highlighting Dubai- Russia bilateral trade growth levels and DCs initiatives launched to deliver more convenient customer-facing services.