A round table of the Business Councils of Slovakia and Russia took place in the International Investment Bank on June 2, 2015. The event saw representatives of business, banking sector and government authorities of two countries. The meeting was attended by special guests — Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic, Robert Fico, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Slovakia, Miroslav Lajčák and other Slovak Ministers, while on the official visit to Moscow.

A separate meeting was held between the Slovak Government representatives and the IIB’s management, attended as well by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Slovak Republic to the Russian Federation H.E. Peter Priputen and the Chairmen of the bilateral Business Councils Irina Makieva and Igor Ledecky.

The IIB’s Chairman Nikolay Kosov informed the guests in detail about the Bank’s activities under the Slovak direction, having especially underlined the crucial contribution of the Slovak Republic to the IIB’s development since the beginning of its re-launch in the end of 2012.

At present, the Slovak share in the Bank’s loan portfolio is around 20%, and last October the Bank successfully placed bonds on the Bratislava Stock Exchange, having issued «mibovki» in the amount of EUR 30 mln. Apart from that, the IIB for the first time ever participates in creation of a private equity fund, aimed at support of SMEs in Slovakia. An important event of the beginning of this year has become the opening of the European regional office in Bratislava, which is to significantly strengthen IIB’s positions in Slovakia and in the EU region in general.

The high guests were as well informed about the Bank’s current and long-term plans on expanding its activities in Slovakia. Special attention was paid to the development of Russian-Slovak trade and economic cooperation.

Chairman of the IIB’s Board expressed deep gratitude to the Slovak Government for the crucial support, provided to the Bank and expressed hope that it will remain that way in the future.

Prime Minister of Slovakia, in his turn, marked the increasing impact of the IIB’s activities as an international development institution on the economy development of the country, first of all, through support of SMES, and also on extension of its trade relations. Mr. Fico and Minister Lajčák gave high appraisal of the work of the IIB’s renewed international team on dramatic transformation of the Bank.

Slovak Prime Minister confirmed the Government high interest in providing further comprehensive support to the Bank for maintaining pace of its development and successful work.

Later during the round table, Chairmen of the Business Councils presented for discussion potential investment projects in energetics, transport, telecommunications, ecology, agriculture, food and other industry sectors. A series of practical steps was set out in order to implement these plans, and here an important role was assigned to the International Investment Bank as a reliable investor in joint Russian-Slovak projects.