Ambassadors Graeme Meehan and Alexey Pavlovsky address ARD

Ambassador of the Commonwealth of Australia to the Russian Federation HE Mr Graeme Meehan, and Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Commonwealth of Australia HE Dr Alexey Pavlovsky, addressed Australia Russia Dialogue (ARD) on Mr Christo Visser’s election as ARD President.

Ambassador Meehan: I am pleased to hear of the election of Mr Christo Visser as the new President of the Australia Russia Dialogue. Mr Visser’s strong experience in the METS sector makes him an excellent fit for the position.

Australia and Russia have much in common, including our economic strengths in resources and agriculture. Australian and Russian companies are already working together in these sectors, but I believe there exists considerable potential to grow these links. ARD is an excellent vehicle to promote further economic interaction, and has already made a significant contribution.

I wish Mr Visser all the best in his new position and look forward to working with him in the near future.

Ambassador Pavlovsky: It gives me much pleasure to welcome Mr Christo Visser to his new position of the President of the Australia Russia Dialogue. I have no doubts that his extensive experience in METS sector and commitment to doing mutually beneficial business in Russia and with Russia will give new impetus to the activities of this Organization.

The ARD was established by the proposal of the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in 2012 as a mechanism to promote and facilitate Russian-Australian economic, trade and investment ties, as well as scientific and technological exchanges.

It has proven to be an effective platform for bilateral business and academic cooperation. Thanks to energetic efforts of the ARD many important projects have been implemented, including several remarkable events in the framework of major economic forums and conferences in both countries.

I expect the ARD under Mr Visser’s leadership not only to keep a good pace, but also to expand its activities engaging with even broader range of interested businesspeople, academics, government bodies and non-commercial organizations.

May I wish Mr Visser every success in his endeavours.