International Economic Forum Begins In St. Petersburg

The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) is kicking off at the ExpoForum Convention and Exhibition Center in Russia's second city on Wednesday and will last until June 17, bringing together thousands of business representatives

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th June, 2023) The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) is kicking off at the ExpoForum Convention and Exhibition Center in Russia's second city on Wednesday and will last until June 17, bringing together thousands of business representatives.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will participate in the plenary session of the forum on Friday.

High-ranking representatives from India, Qatar, Pakistan, Venezuela, Hungary, Myanmar, Nicaragua and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will also be present at the event.

Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz and President of the Republika Srpska Milorad Dodik are set to be among the high-ranking guests. Other important guests expected include Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto and Myanmar Investment and Foreign Economic Relations Minister Kan Zaw. The Qatari Deputy Minister of Commerce and Industry, Sultan bin Rashid Al-Khater, is expected to head his country's delegation.

At this year's forum, the privileged "guest country" status will be enjoyed by the UAE , with Minister of Economy Abdulla Bin Touq Al Marri leading the delegation.

The main theme of this year's SPIEF will be sovereign development as the basis for a just world and will include discussions related to the world economy at a global turning point, building technological sovereignty, protecting the population and quality of life, as well as responding to new labor market challenges.

One of the key topics of the SPIEF will be supporting and implementing various investment projects. Pharmaceutical security, the development of the Arctic, creative industries and digital technology, will also be discussed.

The forum will also include business dialogues between Russia and Brazil, China, the UAE as well as Latin America. Prospects for economic cooperation within the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) will be discussed.

Other events at the forum will include a business dialogue between the Eurasian Economic Union and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (EAEU-ASEAN).

The modernization of national healthcare systems following the pandemic and other healthcare improvements and medical technologies will also be raised.

The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum has been held since 1997, and since 2006 it has been held under the patronage and with the participation of the President of the Russian Federation. In 2020, the forum was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. RIA Novosti, a part of the Rossiya Segodnya media group, is an official media partner and the host photo agency for the event.