For the next three days, St. Petersburg will become the center of world economic politics.
Today in St. Petersburg, the representative forum kicks off, already for the 17th year in a row. More than 5,000 people — heads of states and governments, leading financiers and heads of major corporations — will come together to discuss current global financial and economic problems and identify solutions. And businessmen, of course, are counting on lucrative contracts.
For the next three days, St. Petersburg will become the center of world economic politics. Today in St. Petersburg, the representative forum kicks off, already for the 17th year in a row. More than 5,000 people — heads of states and governments, leading financiers and heads of major corporations — will come together to discuss current global financial and economic problems and identify solutions. And businessmen, of course, are counting on lucrative contracts.
The last technical check before the start of the forum: Not just tens, but hundreds of cameras and microphones will record everything that happens at the Lenexpo exhibition center in the coming days. From the hardwired broadcast, all the action will be visible in high definition in every corner of the globe.
"From here we broadcast 15 streams from 15 platforms, and we broadcast it on the Internet so that all the people who could not get to the forum cans see the session live or recorded in Russian and English," said the chief director of broadcasts, Cyrus Taubert.
However, representatives of large businesses still prefer being personally present. the St. Petersburg Economic Forum, or the Nevsky Summit as it is sometimes informally called, is being held for the 17th time.
The Lenexpo Exhibiton Center is a relatively small piece of land by the Gulf of Finland, just a few acres, but it is here that leading financiers, businessmen and politicians from around the world will gather in the coming days. Thanks to the required format of free communication, with each of them one can discuss any issues of the day in order to hear the most informed opinions.
Among the honored guests of St. Petersburg Economic Forum this year are leaders of other countries. Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte and German Chancellor Angela Merkel are expected to meet with the President of Russia. The talks will focus on joint action by their countries in the unstable conditions of the modern world.
"Life itself dictates to us a unifying agenda. Effectively counteracting global challenges and threats can be only be done by joint efforts of all states. The way to further sustained and stable economic growth seems to lie through coordination of economic policy at the global level through the reform of the global monetary and financial system and the system of financial regulation and supervision, promotion of investment, through strengthening confidence, transparency and predictability of markets, including energy, " Vladimir Putin said in an interview with the RIA Novosti news agency.
Nearly 200 executives of major foreign corporations brought their evaluation and suggestions to the forum. Some 70 countries sent their own delegations. In the annual schedules of many business people from around the world, a trip to St. Petersburg at the end of June is one of the mandatory items.
"We are not here just to look and listen. We want to actively participate in the forum and brought here a large delegation of businessmen from Indonesia. We hope that in this way we can and expand and strengthen cooperation with the Russian business community," said Baskara Pradipta, Secretary for Economic Affairs of the Embassy of Indonesia in Russia.
Foreign entrepreneurs to work hard. The heads of more than 400 Russian companies came to the forum. The most well-known and large, so as not to disappear in the plethora of options, even opened their own exhibition areas.
"Behind every big, responsible, serious Russian or international director are thousands of groups and chances to be in demand through the eyes of the head of those consumers who are behind those present here" said Alexander Chernov, vice president of the Skolkovo Fund.
Many businesses hope for large contracts. Last year's forum was particularly successful: There were over 80 agreements, totaling about 360 billion rubles. But this is not the main goal, say the organizers. The St. Petersburg Forum is, first of all, a platform for discussion. Here, the aim is to share forecasts, argue and discuss the most important changes in the global economy. This year, delegates are most concerned about how to achieve sustainable growth in the global instability.
"Here and in the U.S. we see growth at very low rates, Europe is stagnating, and we have seen a slowdown in Asia. In these conditions, when all regions, even those that are growing fast, start to reduce the growth rate, it signifies a great challenge for all of us. The question of what solutions can be found in such circumstances — this is the agenda of the forum, " said Deputy Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation Sergei Belyakov.
Developments in the global energy sector, agriculture, and metallurgy are also traditional topics of discussion in St. Petersburg. However, the delegates are not confined only to operational issues — The organizers have offered an extensive cultural program: performances, exhibitions, and just walking through the streets of St. Petersburg, which is especially beautiful in white nights.