MOSCOW, October 16. /TASS/. About 80% of Western companies that were present on the Russian market before the onset of the special military operation continue their operations in the country, behaving as conscientious and socially responsible business entities, Russian presidential commissioner for the protection of entrepreneurs' rights, head of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP) Alexander Shokhin said in an interview with TASS.
"We see a lot of pressure both from parent companies and official structures, urging them not to draw too much public attention to their presence in Russia. Indeed, many companies have stayed. Some 15-20% of companies have left, while the rest have remained and are behaving as conscientious employers and socially responsible businesses. <…> Moreover, they realize that they must abide by certain rules of the game, such as demonstrating social responsibility, paying taxes, and complying with other legal requirements, so that they wouldn’t be relegated to the category of entities temporarily managed by Russian executives," Shokhin said.
However, Western businesses understand the threat of retaliation from Russian authorities, he added. "The more sanctions packages the European Union or other countries impose, the more vulnerable they become, because they realize that many of those decisions are based not on economic or other criteria, but rather on geopolitical ones and the principle of reciprocal action. We understand that a complete mirror-like response is hardly possible. They impose sanctions, but it is difficult for us to impose sanctions on those who do not do business with us. Therefore, so to say, those who work conscientiously end up on the front line, forced to answer ‘for the other guy’ sitting in the State Department or the European Commission," the RSPP chief explained.
The Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs is also subject to Western sanctions, he noted. In particular, Shokhin cited the US State Department’s wording that the RSPP is subject to sanctions because it brings together executives and major companies that make a significant contribution to strengthening the country’s budget, its technological development and defense capabilities.
"We don’t dispute this. Moreover, we consider it positive that the US State Department recognizes us as the country’s leading business association. After all, we aren’t being accused of, say, any kind of unscrupulous conduct, but we are being accused precisely of doing what we were created to do. This means we are performing our functions well. Nevertheless, for our partners, caution certainly wouldn’t hurt," he stressed.
Shokhin expressed confidence that Western businesses would be represented at the Russian Industrialist forum in St. Petersburg scheduled for October 22-24. "However, we see that companies sometimes feel uncomfortable joining our platform, partly because the RSPP, as an association of employers, is under sanctions," he concluded.
