Sixteen Bahraini enterprises supported by Tamkeen's Growth Assistance Scheme are now taking part in an international exhibition in Russia.

Tamkeen allocated BD67,000 ($177,702) for them to participate in the three-day Arabia Expo 2010 which started yesterday in Moscow.

The event is being held at Crocus Expo, the largest exhibition centre in the country, and features a large number of Arab and Russian companies.

The exhibition aims to expand commercial and economic relations between Russia and the Arab world.

It also aims to help participants build partnerships and exchange ideas and expertise to market their products and services.

The event allows participants to study the possibility of marketing Bahraini products in Russia, learn about the latest technologies and build relations with other exhibitors.

A number of leading Bahraini organisations including the Economic Development Board, Gulf Air, and Alba are participating in the exhibition as part of Bahrain's pavilion.

Tamkeen vice-president of the enterprise and human capital development Dr Ahmed Abdul Ghani Al Shaikh is also a part of the Bahraini delegation.

'Major international exhibitions provide ideal platforms to promote national enterprises to a much wider audience, and we are pleased that we can present these valuable opportunities to Bahraini entrepreneurs,' he said.

The Growth Assistance Scheme is a co-financing plan designed to make enterprises become sustainable by increasing the reach of their products and services.

The scheme is one of various ones available to Bahraini enterprises under the Enterprise Development Support programme, which is managed by KPMG Fakhro.-TradeArabia News Service