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Egor Semyonovich, how did the idea of holding the International Economic Forum in St.-Petersburg arise? Briefly, we need an additional incentive for the economic integration of CIS states in the economic field. In order for our countries’ economies to start functioning on the basis of market relations, we need to reanimate lost connections and establish new ones. A legal base for this has already been provided: the pilot Civil code that was passed at the IPA and other legal acts have allowed the making of the national regulations of economic and other relations more uniform. Now what we need are investments to stimulate the functioning of industrial enterprises and agriculture. We are hoping that new ways of interaction between state and commercial structures with mutual benefit to all neighboring countries and to Russia will be found at this forum. It is well known that now the main flow of money passes over the home producers and either settles in western banks or is used for the purchase of foreign goods that allows the creation of new jobs abroad. Meanwhile, in this country a decrease of production is taking place primarily due to the absence of necessary investments. If the new and original ways of escaping this situation and new ways of attracting native and foreign investors who can reanimate our industry that is now in the state of coma are not proposed at this forum, we will be unlikely to get out of the crisis that Russia and all other CIS states are now in. This crisis has affected almost all aspects of life — political, economic, social and ecological. As the managing director of the International Monetary Fund Michael Camdessut has noted, the control and suppression of inflation was an impressive success of the last several years. However, no other hopes were realized. The reforms that are carried on, are skidding and do not give the desired results. The market has not begun to function. The industrial production, without which no general development of the country is possible, is still decreasing. We have approached a dangerous threshold. Either we will manage to hold back the fall of industry and provide the reliable prerequisites for its growth, or the crisis will gather so much momentum that the consequences will be catastrophic. It is natural that the President, feeling his responsibility for the present and the future of Russia, has suggested in his Message to the Federal Assembly a comprehensive action plan to negotiate the crisis and give a second wind to the transformations. The reforms are to be earnestly corrected and deepened to meet the interests of the nation’s majority. Now all of us who are responsible for the future of the state are inspired with faith in the necessity of deeper integration with the economic structures of the world and of strengthening international economic links on the basis of market conditions, as we have never been before. Clearly, large injections of money are needed to reanimate the industrial production. Today, the state does not have such amounts available. We have to look for investors abroad. And we have to search widely. Evidently, an international economic forum similar to the one that is held annually in Davos could be a powerful tool for it. Why don’t you use the tribune and the capabilities of Davos for this purpose? Russia and other CIS countries have permanently participated in the meetings in Davos throughout recent years. But here, the problems of the entire world are discussed, and although the voices of our representatives that are usually political figures of highest rank, are strong enough, they do not determine the course of discussions and only have a slight effect on the decisions. We want our problems to become a topic of a special forum so that the discussions will result in concrete actions, beneficial for Russia’s economy. We want serious business partners, major financiers and manufacturers, bound for long-term collaboration with mutual benefit, to rush into Russia and the CIS states. During such a forum we could convince the participants that today’s Russia is an immense marketplace and that it has everything necessary to carry out major national and transnational projects and programs. The projects that have a positive impact on the improvement of Russia’s economic health and bring considerable profits to the investors. It is to this kind of problems that the international economic forum that will be held in St.-Petersburg under the aegis of the Inter-Parliament Assembly of CIS countries during the second half of June is to serve. Why was St.-Petersburg chosen as the host city for the forum? Our experience tells us that the success of this kind of event — and we want to hold the forum regularly — strongly depends on the right choice of the format of meetings and of the place and time of holding it, on the authority and professional experience of organizers and on the well-considered subjects of discussion. Preliminary discussions with a number of Russian and foreign experts have shown that St.-Petersburg meets the requirements best of all. The Northern capital has everything necessary for the productive work of the most demanding partners, among which we are hoping to see managers of major international economic structures and corporations and leaders of many states. For general sessions, for special symposia and for other business meetings, the numerous halls of Tavrichesky and Yusupovsky palaces are equipped technically in the most splendid way. Large-scale forums have been held here repeatedly, for example, the meeting of the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development shareholders jointly with the representatives of the Russian economy gathered about five thousand people in 1994, among which there were leaders of Russia and of CIS countries as well as many foreign economic leaders. Another circumstance must be mentioned, the role of which in choosing the time and place of the forum was far from the last. Late June is the time of the white nights. During these days the city on the Neva takes on a special charm, and we think that this should also attract serious business people here. Egor Semyonovich, who belongs to the Organization board of the forum? I don’t think it makes sense to name everyone. Our President has been actively supporting the idea of the forum from the very beginning. Leading members of the government, major figures of the State Duma, leaders of the subjects of the Federation and scientists are among the members of the Organization board. A working group, including competent experts in major fields, has been created within the Organization board. What problems are to be discussed at the forum? We have worked out a detailed program of the first summit. At the plenary session, the chairman of the government, V.S.Chernomyrdin, will present a report “Problems and opportunities of economic integration”. This report will set the pitch of the entire meeting. Concrete projects and problems — cooperation and the creation of transnational structures, the development of small and middle-sized businesses, the integration of Russia and CIS countries into the world economy, new forms of collaboration in different economic fields, interaction with the fuel and energy complex, joint use of the North shipping route. The items I have listed will provide an impression of the forum’s scale which, I am sure, will contribute to the powerful inflow of investments into Russia and CIS countries, that will have a positive effect on their economic growth.
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