Russia holds economic dialogues with int’l community

World
Europe

01:31

Themed with creating an economy of trust, the 2018 St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) that opened on Thursday, aims to promote an open and fair international business environment.

“We are willing to establish dialogues, mutual trust, and partnerships with major world economies. And I believe there would be not only interesting discussions during the forum, but also key decisions, and further business ties.” Georgy Poltavchenko, Governor of St. Petersburg said at the opening ceremony.

From Thursday to Saturday, over 90 business discussions on various issues will be held and more than 100 countries are participating in this year’s event, including leaders from France, Japan, and China.

A Chinese delegation led by China’s Vice President Wang Qishan is attending the event.

Despite a difficult global atmosphere, in particular since Washington ramped up its sanctions against Russia, the forum shows Moscow's readiness to hold a dialogue with the international community.

“Despite the depreciation of the ruble and sanctions, we still welcome mutual investment between Russian companies and other countries, and we will provide the relevant policies to support this,” said Anton Siluanov, First Deputy Prime Minister of Russia.