Foreign companies vow not to bribe Russian officials

The initiative to lay down effective measures for resisting bribery was taken by several large German companies, chairman of the Russian-German Chamber of Commerce Michael Harms, said.

"If companies announce they do not intend to bribe anymore, it can be hoped that no one will turn to them for bribes."

Over fifty companies are expected to sign the document, including Siemens, which has been involved in a large-scale bribery scandal in Russia.

The International Business Forum, American Chamber of Commerce and European Business Association have approved the initiative.

Harms considers the signing of the project to be a significant step forward. Under discussion are not only the principles, but also concrete ways of discouraging bribery. He says there are plans to set up a special agency to monitor compliance in commercial practices, but only the involvement of large Russian companies can turn this idea into reality.

The Russian Economic Development and Trade Ministry and the Presidential Administration were informed about the project. Presidential aide Arkady Dvorkovich told Vedomosti he will attend the signing of the document, Kazinform cites RIA Novosti. See www.en.rian.ru for full version.