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Dept of Trade and Industry

Answer

Mr. Madden: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what factors led him to write to the Russian Deputy Prime Minister on behalf of Illingworth Morris about negotiations in which the company was involved in Russia; if he will place copies of the relevant correspondence in the Library; in what other cases he has written to Russian Ministers concerning individual company negotiations in Russia; and if he will make a statement. [15697] Mr. Lang: [holding answer 13 February 1997]: I wrote to Russian Deputy Prime Ministers Bolshakov and Kazakov on 28 June 1996 following up a meeting of the UK/Russia Steering Committee on Trade and Investment which I had co-chaired with Mr. Bolshakov the previous month. The letter addressed the uncertainties that investors faced in Russia and our shared aim to create there an attractive investment climate, and referred to Illingworth Morris as an example. I also wrote to Mr. Bolshakov on 4 December 1996 concerning negotiations involving other companies. Correspondence of this type is normally regarded as commercially confidential. Throughout, all correspondence and contacts with the Russian Government were based wholly on the advice of officials in my Department and at the British Embassy in Moscow.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

290 c728W; 15697

Session

1996-97

Subjects

Civil proceedings Investment Overseas companies Russia Illingworth Morris