On October 1, 2025, the 5th meeting of the Business Club was held at the Russian Trade Mission in Finland. The meeting was dedicated to discussing Russia’s economic achievements and prospects for 2024-2025. Approximately 100 guests, representatives of Finnish business and civil society, attended the club meeting.
Pavel Kuznetsov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Finland, welcomed the guests. Valery Shlyamin, Scientific Advisor of the Institute of Northren European Studies at PetrSU, former Minister of Foreign Relations of the Republic of Karelia, and Trade Representative of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Finland, also delivered a welcoming speech in Finnish, sharing his extensive experience of cooperation between Russia and Finland.
Valery Shlyamin delivers a welcoming speech
In his speech, Valery Shlyamin emphasised the importance of long-standing ties between the two countries and noted that, despite current political challenges, the experience of partnership and pragmatism in trade provide the foundation for renewing and strengthening mutually beneficial relations. He expressed hope for the restoration of dialogue and cooperation in the future, which will facilitate the development of scientific, cultural, and economic ties between the peoples of Russia and Finland:
“Nevertheless, I remain optimistic and believe that the day will come when common sense prevails. Sooner or later, Russians and Finns will resume dialogue. Economic ties and trade will once again foster scientific, cultural, and human connections. We have the prerequisites for this—our vast experience of cooperation, the pragmatism characteristic of the Finns, and Russia’s openness to mutually beneficial trade.”
Acting Russian Trade Representative to Finland, Evgeny Rubinchik, delivered a report entitled Russia 2025: Economic Development in the New Realities, in which he highlighted key economic indicators and Russian projects, as well as those in the Arctic.
On the Finnish side, Jaana Niinikorpi, Chairman of the Kallio-Vallila-Russia Society, and Mauno Saari, Chairman of the Naapuriseura Society, delivered welcoming remarks. This was followed by a presentation by Olli Kotro, EU affairs expert and Naapuriseura’s Brussels correspondent.
The programme also included a screening of a short film in Finnish about Russia’s achievements in 2024 and a question-and-answer session, where participants had the opportunity to discuss contemporary economic development issues in more detail.