OREANDA-NEWS. A meeting of Chamber President Sergey Katyrin with President of Yemen Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi has taken place at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Russia in the attendance of CCI of Russia Vice-President Georgy Petrov, Yemeni Foreign Minister Abu-Bakr Al-Qirbi, Russian Ambassador to Yemen Sergey Kozlov, Russian-Arab Business Council Director Tatiana Gvilava and Russian businessmen.

While greeting the foreign guest, CCI of Russia President Sergey Katyrin noted that Russia and Yemen had had long-standing relations. The 85th anniversary of the first Treaty of Friendship and Trade between Moscow and Sana’a will be observed this year. In the words of Sergey Katyrin, Russian businessmen traditionally show interest in the republic. There are a number of areas in which Russia and Yemen have prospects and cooperation potential. These include mineral exploration and extraction, energy (including production and refinery of oil and gas), development of infrastructure, primarily transport facilities, development of satellite communication systems, agriculture and water management.

Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi described the current situation in Yemen. The country has been living through a difficult period of its history for several decades but the situation is gradually stabilizing. Presidential elections were held slightly more than a year ago and the national dialog uniting every stratum of the Yemeni population was launched in March 2013. Nine working parties are going to spend six months elaborating a new constitution and adjusting the administrative system.

Yemen needs to develop infrastructure and energy and to create jobs. Over 0.5 million specialists with higher education are out of job in the republic.

In the words of Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, the entire infrastructure of Yemen has to be rebuilt. The country needs railroads and motorways for domestic and international use. There are problems with energy, healthcare and education. During his visit, the Yemeni president met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev to discuss the possible work of Russian fuel and energy companies in Yemen. In the opinion of Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, Gazprom could explore and extract hydrocarbons and assist in the construction of gas power plants with the total capacity of 4,000 megawatt. Yemen needs this energy volume right now, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi noted; he said that Russia could help solve the problem.

There is a broad space for investments in the mining industry, agriculture and the food industry. Many graduates of Soviet higher educational establishments live in Yemen, and, according to the president, they are also interested in the return of Russian business to the republic.

Yemeni Foreign Minister Abu-Bakr Al-Qirbi expressed an opinion that foreign, including Russian, businessmen, will be safe in Yemen thanks to current laws and laws to be adopted in order to respond to wishes of investors. In the opinion of Abu-Bakr Al-Qirbi, Yemen may attract foreign companies with its unique geographic position, access to three water areas and novelty of its market.

Russian-Arab Business Council Director Tatiana Gvilava spoke about the ArabiaExpo international show held once in every three years. The third exhibition will take place this year in St. Petersburg, from May 30 through June 1. Fourteen Arab countries have confirmed their participation in ArabiaExpo 2013.

Representatives of GK TIRA Corporation and Military-Industrial Company LLC presented economic cooperation options and projects of mutual interest.