St. Petersburg authorities are planning to sign contracts with partners from the Middle East and South-East Asia as well as with members of the Eurasian Economic Union and CIS countries at this year's St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. St. Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov told TASS in an interview.
"The list of agreements is still being compiled. Of course, the sanctions agenda has made its changes, but we traditionally expect a large attendance of guests from friendly states. We expect that the ongoing work will allow St. Petersburg to sign important international agreements during SPIEF-2023. We are actively developing contacts with the EEU countries, CIS countries, Middle East and South-East Asia for this purpose," said Beglov.
According to Beglov, a new regional package for SPIEF 2023, which provides for the development of horizontal ties with the subjects of the Russian Federation, is also being put together. "We plan to raise the level of interaction with the Oryol, Chelyabinsk, Irkutsk, Kaliningrad, and Novosibirsk regions, as well as Astrakhan and Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug-Yugra. This will help implement specific projects and initiatives, especially in the economy," said Beglov. St. Petersburg has agreements with 73 subjects of the Russian Federation and 5 other cities.
Beglov reminded that the XXVI St. Petersburg International Economic Forum will take place on June 14-17, 2023. The city has already started getting ready for it. "We do everything to ensure a comfortable stay for the delegates. We are busy with transport and engineering infrastructure, think over the spring landscaping and epidemiological safety measures. Together with the universities we are selecting foreign language volunteers among the students", said the governor.
He believes that St. Petersburg Forum will be a large international event and many foreign guests will visit the city. "This year we expect a significant increase in the number of participants from different continents due to the Russia-Africa summit which will take place on the Neva River. The guest country of SPIEF 2023 will be the United Arab Emirates. This means the arrival of a representative delegation and the opportunity to develop cooperation with the UAE at a fast pace," said Beglov.
GSV "Russia - Islamic world"
Photo: Peter H\Pixabay
Based on materials from TASS