TORONTO (March 15, 2021) – Close to 200 leading governmental, business, and academic representatives of the Canadian and Eurasian mining industries joined the 2021 CERBA Eurasia Virtual Mining Conference on March 12, 2021 organized by the Canada Eurasia Russia Business Association (CERBA).

CERBA National Chairman, Gilles Breton, traced the history of the event back to the year of 1994 "when the first delegations from Russia took part in CERBA founding partner CRBF's Conference program during PDAC and the first bilateral Canada-Russia meeting happened in Moscow in 1996." Since 2000 the event has been held by the CERBA annually at PDAC.

The conference kicked off with a warm welcome from their Excellencies Alison LeClaire, Ambassador of Canada to the Russian Federation, Republic of Uzbekistan, and Republic of Armenia; Nicholas Brousseau, Ambassador of Canada to the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, and the Republic of Tajikistan; Akylbek Kamaldinov, Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to Canada; and Javlon Vakhabov, Ambassador of the Republic of Uzbekistan to Canada and the United States of America.

The first session of the Mining Conference was led by Erin Campbell, CEO ECMB Partners and the CERBA Vancouver Board Chair. The focal point of the session was the updates from the Eurasian lawmakers in the mining industry: Maxim Kirzhimanov, Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment of the Russian Federation presented new regulatory initiatives of the Ministry for the improvement of the attractiveness of Russian mining projects for foreign and domestic investors; Almat Abdikeshov of the Ministry of Industry and Infrastructure Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan, State Committee for Geology spoke about the recent updates to the international standards Subsoil Code, as well as the Astana International Financial Centre and Exchange being among the major instruments of foreign investment attraction to Kazakhstan; and Azam Kadirhodjaev from the State Committee of Geology and Mineral Resources of the Republic of Uzbekistan updated the audience on the new mining code developed in cooperation with EBRD, the World Bank and BCG, as well as the mining projects open for investment in Uzbekistan.

An expert on macroeconomics of the region, Chris Weafer of Macro-Advisory, mentioned that "all governments were under pressure to attract investment and to show credible recovery and growth strategies which offer opportunities for investors…" and noted the importance of the ESG aspect in the industry.

The event highlighted the success of the mining and metallurgy sector investors in Kazakhstan, Russia and Uzbekistan: Kinross Gold, Metalloinvest, Cameco and B2Gold – corporate stakeholders in the region – presented in the second session. The session was moderated by Kirill Kozenyashev of EY Parthenon, who set the stage by covering the major trends in the mining industry and the success factors for international players.

Due to the ongoing pandemic, the conference was held virtually, instead of in its usual locale of Toronto at PDAC’s venue. The Conference was immediately followed by an interactive networking reception hosted on Remo, a platform which allowed the attendees move around the reception "hall" freely and engage in video chats at "tables" with their peers from the mining industry, replicating the real - life experience.

For further information and the video recording of the official part of the events, please visit www.cerbamining.com.

About CERBA

Founded in 2004, the Canada Eurasia Russia Business Association (CERBA) is a non-profit business association seeking to support trade, investment, and friendly relations between Canada and the countries of Eurasia. Through its chapters situated in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Alberta, Vancouver, Winnipeg, Russia, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan, CERBA supports the dynamic needs of its growing membership in regards to advocacy activities, establishing fora of discussion, the dissemination of information and networking, and the establishment of partnerships for the benefit of the Canadian-Eurasian transnational business environment. 

Moscow, 2 March 2021 – Dentons has advised Sberbank on the acquisition of 100 percent of Yo-Engineering, which has been developing the Russian “Yo-mobile” hybrid electric car, from Belarusian company KG Impex.

Yo-Engineering team will become part of SberAutoTech (Sber Automotive Technologies), Sberbank’s dedicated subsidiary focused on the strategy for developing automotive digital platforms, and will develop its lines related to creating a platform for autonomous vehicles, self-driving cars, as well as automobile operating systems and technologies.

Partner Glenn Kolleeny led the Dentons team working on the transaction, with the support from senior associate Oleg Khlestov and associates Tatiana Shadrina and Oxana Pishvanova. The Belarusian aspects of the project were handled by Stepanovski Papakul and Partners, member of Dentons Nextlaw Referral Network.

“We are very excited to have represented Sberbank on the transaction that contributes to the development of self-driving cars. This represents the solution to Moscow’s traffic and parking problems as well as a way to significantly ameliorate the air quality in Moscow,” commented Glenn Kolleeny.

About Dentons

Dentons is the world's largest law firm*, connecting talent to the world's challenges and opportunities in more than 75 countries. Dentons' legal and business solutions benefit from deep roots in our communities and award-winning advancements in client service, including Nextlaw, Dentons’ innovation and strategic advisory services. Dentons' polycentric and purpose-driven approach, commitment to inclusion and diversity, and world-class talent challenge the status quo to advance client and community interests in the New Dynamic. www.dentons.com

* The American Lawyer 2020 – Global 200 law firm ranking by number of lawyers.

Dear CERBA Members and Partners,

According to the information kindly provided by CERBA Corporate Member – Intermark Relocation, please be informed that in accordance  with the governmental decree No. 258-p dated on February 6, 2021 (link in Russian) HQS employees and their family members may enter Russia multiple times based on the approved lists.

What are the changes?

HQS employees and family members (spouses, children, parents, adoptees and adopters) are eligible to multiple entry to Russia if they are included in the lists, which have been sent to the MIA of Russia and the Federal security service of Russia by the federal executive body responsible for the area of the employer company’s activities. Before that single entry was the only available option as per the original decree.

According to the information from Association of European Businesses, the amendment should apply both to new HQS and their family members, and to those who have previously received permission to enter according to the Federal security service lists. The wording of the amendment is in line with this interpretation from a legal point of view. A potential risk may arise from the technical processing of requests by the border control, since it is not known for certain whether the information on all previously issued entry permits is actually stored in the border control database.

Who is affected?

HQS employees, their family members and employer companies.

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You can read an original version here.

Dear CERBA Members and Partners,

According to the information kindly provided by CERBA Corporate Member – Intermark Relocation, please be informed that the MFA of Russia has approved a new list of the purposes of entry, which is used by state authorities when issuing letters of invitation and visas to foreign nationals.

The list took effect on 8 February 2021.

Which law introduces the changes?

Order of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation of 21.12.2020 N 23235 "On Approval of the List of Travel Purposes Used for Issuing and Issuing Visas to Foreign Citizens".

What are the changes?

1. The newly approved list of available purposes of entry has some differences from the old list. Please find the most important differences below:

• The "Work for hire" purpose of entry has been renamed to "Work activities";
• The "Technical services" purpose of entry has been renamed to "Installation works" and the category of the relevant visa has been changed from "Business" to "Work".

NB! Please note that as per general rule, all work visas are issued as single entry visas for 90 days with possibility of in-country extension (with exception to HQS employees and their family members who are eligible to multiple visas valid for 3 years).

• The "Commercial" and "Aim tourism" purposes of entry are not included in the new list. A regular business visa should be requested for any type of business activities in Russia;
• The "Private" purpose of entry has been renamed to "Guest";
• Work visas with "accompanying family member" purpose of entry may be issued only to HQS dependents as well as dependents of foreign mass media workers.

NB! The new list does not provide for issue of dependent visas to family members of employees who work based on regular (non-HQS) work permits.

2. According to the information that we have received from the migration authority, filing of work visa invitation applications in the Moscow migration department (Pokrovka Street 42) has been temporarily suspended due to technical reasons and in connection with the above changes.

3. Currently, we are receiving reports that some of the Russian consulates abroad suspend filing of applications for work visas and technical services visas. The officials of the consulates and relevant visa centres refer only to receiving some internal instructions to suspend filing of the relevant applications.

Intermark comment

We would like to alert our clients to the possibility of temporary suspension of filing applications and the resulting delays in the processing of work LOIs in the migration departments in Russia and processing of work visas in Russian consulates abroad. In some cases, at the decision of a competent authority, the necessity to re-apply or obtain a new LOI instead of a previously issued one may arise.

Who is affected?

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You can read an original version here.

Moscow, February 2021 – Dentons has jumped eight spots to number three in the Acritas Global Elite Brand Index 2021.

In the midst of a global pandemic and economic crisis, and on the heels of Dentons' extraordinary growth in 2020 where Dentons announced 33 new locations around the world, Acritas has named Dentons in the Acritas Global Brand Elite Index 2021:

1.    The second best known law firm; and

2.    The third most favored law firm.

Dentons is the biggest riser ever in the Acritas index, and the biggest riser in 2021. In less than ten years since its inception, Dentons has established its leading global brand through the value that it delivers to clients across the world. That value is the result of Dentons' unstinting focus on quality, inclusion, breadth and depth of capability to bring together the best teams, and a polycentric approach which combines local knowledge and relationships with a global outlook.

"We are extremely proud of this recognition and vote of confidence from senior legal buyers around the globe," said Joe Andrew, Global Chairman of Dentons. "As the youngest of the global firms, competing with some who have been around for decades or centuries, we see improving our global brand as first among our goals not because it is the most important goal, but because the strength of our brand is a result of the strength of our people, of our commitment to diversity and to our continued effort to provide the best service for our clients."

"In this New Dynamic Decade, our clients are confronted with constant, accelerated change and want counsel that has the demonstrated experience and confidence to help them thrive in the unknown,” said Elliott Portnoy, Global CEO of Dentons. "Dentons’ standing in the Acritas rankings, based on client feedback, demonstrates that our continued commitment to our strategy and our clients’ success, as well as our confidence in our people and our ability to adapt in the rapidly changing New Dynamic Decade separates Dentons from the pack."

Acritas, part of Thomson Reuters, is the world’s leading provider of global legal market intelligence. Its results were informed by insights from 1,565 senior legal buyers, representing 55 countries, to measure the firms that are most top of mind and most favored by corporate clients with more than US$1B in global revenues, as well as most considered for multi-jurisdictional deals and litigation.

About Dentons

Dentons is the world's largest law firm*, connecting talent to the world's challenges and opportunities in more than 75 countries. Dentons' legal and business solutions benefit from deep roots in our communities and award-winning advancements in client service, including Nextlaw, Dentons’ innovation and strategic advisory services. Dentons' polycentric and purpose-driven approach, commitment to inclusion and diversity, and world-class talent challenge the status quo to advance client and community interests in the New Dynamic. www.dentons.com

* The American Lawyer 2020 – Global 200 law firm ranking by number of lawyers.

The World Bank forecasts GDP growth for Uzbekistan at 4.3% in 2021 and 4.5% in 2022, according to the Global Economic Prospects released in January 2021.

The regional economy is forecast to expand only moderately in 2021, to 3.3%, as the resurgence of COVID-19 cases causes persistent disruptions to activity. The outlook is predicated on the distribution of an effective vaccine in early in 2021 in advanced economies and major emerging market and developing economies, including Russia, and later in the year for other countries. It also assumes that geopolitical tensions do not re-escalate in the region.

In Central Asia, growth is expected to recover to 3% this year, supported by a modest rise in commodity prices and foreign direct investment as the subregion deepens its integration with China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

The GDP growth for Kazakhstan is forecast at 4% in 2021, at 3.8% for Kyrgyzstan, 3.5% for Tajikistan.

Dear CERBA Members and Partners,

Please be informed that based on the decision of the governmental Operational staff for the prevention of importing and spreading of the new coronavirus infection the term of suspension of flights between Russia and UK has been extended until January 12, 2021.

In addition, this is to remind you that all persons arriving in Russia from the UK are subject to 14-day self-isolation requirement.

Intermark comments

To include HQS employees employed in the field of sports and their family members in the approved lists the employer needs to submit a request to the Ministry of Sports.

Currently the information presented in the message on the Rospotrebnadzor website has not been confirmed by any published document or decree. At the same time, we have no information that the corresponding decree is being prepared for publication. In practice, government orders may be issued later than the actual date of their signing, which in the current situation significantly increases the uncertainty in terms of the practical application of the possibilities described in the message.

Additionally, questions arise due to an error in the text of the message (January 10, 2020 instead of 2021), the possibility of ambiguous interpretation (entry before January 10 inclusive or not?), and also due to the lack of details regarding the procedure for entry of citizens (except the presence of a PCR test).

In the event that HQS workers decide to leave the Russian Federation in order to return later, relying on this message from Rospotrebnadzor, we recommend that they, upon their return, have a document confirming their status – an HQS work permit.

We would also like to draw your attention to the fact that the rule on the need for 14 days of self-isolation after entry is still in force for foreigners entering the Russian Federation with the “work” purpose. Thus, workers returning from New Year's holidays will have to comply with quarantine upon their return.

Intermark will be closely monitoring the development of events around this message from Rospotrebnadzor. We will inform you in case of additional details or clarifications.

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You can read an original version here.

Dear CERBA Members,

We would ike to inform you that CERBA’s long-standing strategic Partner – the Roscongress Foundation has an English-language Telegram channel for its international audience – Roscongress Direct (t.me/RoscongressDirect). The channel is the fastest and most reliable source of information concerning news of Russia and regional economy, and the latest analytics. You are most welcome to join the community and invite your colleagues, friends, and all those with an interest in news concerning Russian society and the economy.