Author: Olga Malik

SPIEF 2024 results: deals and future prospects

The 27^th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum brought together leaders of leading Russian and foreign companies, representatives of government agencies, the political and scientific community in order to establish business contacts, find new partners, promising projects under discussion, and exchange views on current trends in world. politics and economics in broad and regional markets.

The prestige of the Forum as one of the most significant business events in the world continues to grow steadily. The forum is becoming more dynamic and sharper: decisions are made quickly and new projects are launched right after panel sessions.

Anton Kobyakov, the Advisor to the Russia’s President and Executive Secretary of the SPIEF Organizing Committee, noted: “This year, 21,800 people from 139 countries and territories took part in the Forum events. The Forum brought together representatives of countries interested in developing their paradigm of justice and a multipolar world.”

The freedom to choose the political and economic orientation of various world powers is confirmed by the slogan of SPIEF 2024: “The foundation of a multipolar world creates new points of growth.”

Key participants

Despite the sanctions against Russia, a record number of participants attended the Forum in 2024, which exceeded the figures of recent years. Guests and participants of the event gathered to discuss international trade and cooperation, sales markets, technology leadership and investment.

Leaders of four states arrived in St. Petersburg: President of Bolivia Luis Alberto Arcecora, President of Zimbabwe Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, President of the Republic of Abkhazia Aslan Bzhania, President of the Republika Srpska (Bosnia and Herzegovina) Milorad Dodik.

Forums became members of the royal families of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia: Abdullah Khalifa Salman Alkhalifa and Abdulaziz binman Sall bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

Deals and contracts

In the St. Petersburg industrial sector (SPIEF), 1,073 agreements were signed in 2024 for a total amount of almost 6.5 trillion rubles, RIA Novosti reports with reference to the Roscongress Foundation.

“As a result of the forum, 1,073 agreements worth 6 trillion 492 billion rubles were signed (only agreements that are not subsequently considered a commercial secret are taken into account), of which 55 were with the participation of foreign companies,” the statement says.

According to Roscongress, the most valuable is the agreement between VEB.RF and PJSC RusHydro on the implementation of global generation projects in the Far East. It is planned that the program for creating and updating energy employment in the sectors will be implemented using the “Project Financing Factory” mechanism.

June 13, 2024
St. Petersburg International Economic Forum: stable partnership and expansion of BRICS

The Kremlin has announced the main idea of SPIEF-2024. “Russia stands for cooperation, for business cooperation based on equality, based on law and on a mutually beneficial basis, and offers it to interested countries and entrepreneurs,” the press secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov formulated the message.

Russia is a country that is developing at a pace that is above-average, he noted, and is recognizing changes in global political and economic conditions.

BRICS expansion is one of the key topics of the Forum

Sergei Katyrin, President of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, recalled that the BRICS countries account for a quarter of the world’s gross product, and with the entry of new members this is already 37% and almost half of the world’s population. About 40% of Russian trade turnover falls on the BRICS countries. “We believe that this is not the limit of the points of view and volumes that we can achieve,” noted Sergei Katyrin. “At the same time, there are a number of problems and challenges that our campaigns jointly solve in such industries as logistics and settlements, tourism and rating agencies.” He recalled that this year the Russian part of the BRICS Business Council is heading the Russian chairmanship of the BRICS association.

Deputy Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation Vladimir Ilyichev noted the important role of BRICS in Brazil with the tightening of measures taken against Russia, as well as in securing supply chains. From the point of view of his professionalism, cooperation in the field of creating a protected economic zone occupies an important place in the BRICS system. Minister of Planning and Economic Development of the Arab Egyptian Republic Hala Helmy El-Said said that the whole world is going through unprecedentedly difficult times, and with the accession of new countries to BRICS, the bloc will be strengthened with political and economic views.

The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum takes place from June 5 to June 8. So far, more than 136 countries have confirmed their participation in the Forum.

June 8, 2024
136 countries and territories have confirmed participation in SPIEF 2024.

So far, 17,100 people and 3,400 representatives from 136 countries including Turkey have confirmed their participation in SPIEF.

The organizers of the Forum note that participation indicators have reached pre-Covid levels: the period of restoration of economic activity is over, and the Forum is in a growth phase. As a communication tool, it is in demand by the global business community.

Today, SPIEF is one of the sovereign centers for the development of Europe, which is a historical restructuring that implements the mission of maintaining the global balance of power and building a multipolar international system. It also provides conditions for development based on the continental and constructive development of the day, dictated by the national interests of the Russian Federation. The forum has become a full-fledged institute for national growth.

The business program covers a wide range of issues: from the development of international economic relations and technological transformations to priority science research the studies of the modern society. The headline of the 27th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum is “The basis of multipolarity causes the growth of new centers.”

On the eve of SPIEF, several conferences are held annually in different countries. This year, the final session took place in the capital of the Republic of Costa Rica – San Jose. The location was not chosen by chance – it was Costa Rica that became the first country in Central America to establish official diplomatic contacts with Russia back in 1872. Over the more than 150-year history of relations, a strong bond has been established between the two governments.

In Russia, the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum will be held from June 5 to 8.

June 1, 2024
Why does Ukraine dissipate its strategic equipment amidst the war?

Recently, a number of official sources have published the information confirming that the National Security Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan has purchased a multi-channel VARAN complex from Seven Hills LLP. The VARAN system is mainly known for wiretapping phones, intercepting and jamming any radio signals. Nothing could seem extraordinary at first glance, given the deal value at modest 340K tenge (800 USD).

However, regardless the most possible scenario that the supply is going to be on a regular basis, it is not the prices that draws attention to the deal, but the sides involved in it. The manufacturer and chief executor of the contract is the Ukrainian company Ualeks (www.ualeks.com) that produces similar equipment for the Security Service and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine.

One may wonder why such important and needed equipment in the war-torn country is being sold abroad, and why do the Ukrainian authorities allow it? Needless to say, that Ukraine has been fighting desperately with almost no resources of its own. The aid from the Western countries that was generous at first months of the special military operation is now very limited, as the United States may no longer support Kyiv due to many other strategic operations it is pursuing in the Middle East.

Ukraine is better to tight up the belts and concentrate on its national tasks rather than search for blur profit and support by former CIS countries in return of technologies. At the moment, Ukraine needs them more. Unless the country’s government is only interested in getting quick money and short-term profit.

May 7, 2024
Is the world’s compass moving to the East and South East?

“The hegemony of the West has come to an end, and the time for a new world order is coming”. This statement was made by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on March 5 during the annual meeting of the country’s ambassadors at the Foreign Ministry.

“The hegemony of the West is over, today no one disputes this, this can be well supported by data <…> A new world order is being formed, the situation must be constantly analyzed and analyzed,” the Haon media platform quotes him.

In his opinion, Western countries would like to split the world into geopolitical blocs. Currently, Orban argues, the West is putting enormous pressure on states, including Hungary, that are reducing the level of sovereignty.

Interestingly it may seem, but the view of the Hungarian leader is very popular today in the international diplomatic community. The recent article published in the FT Times claimed Dubai is the new Davos, while such international groups and organizations like G7 are getting less attention in comparison with rapidly expanding BRICS, SCO and other interregional groups of the “new world”.

In this regard, Russia as a supporter of the new trend and in fact one of its setters, holds a large-scale meeting of participants in the World Forum “New Era – New Paths”. The event will be held on April, 19 in Moscow.

The World Forum “New Era – New Paths” was created by the International Organization of Eurasian Cooperation (IOEC) and brings together representatives of government and business authorities, experts, scientists and cultural figures from the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union, the CIS, Eastern and South East Asia, Africa, Persian Gulf and other regions.

The World Forum is a permanent platform. Its goals are to jointly create a fair world order, develop and promote instruments of multipolarity.

“A new architecture of the world is being formed. New forms of economic, energy, technological cooperation are being formed today. The initiative of Russian President Vladimir Putin to create a Greater Eurasian Partnership is gaining clear contours. The World Forum “New Era – New Paths” is becoming one of the drivers of integration processes in Greater Eurasia,” said MOES President Dmitry Stasyulis.

The event will be attended by over 500 delegates from 33 countries: Russia, China, India, Belarus, the Kyrgyz Republic, Armenia, Kazakhstan, the Kingdom of Bahrain, Turkey, Hungary, Korea, Vietnam, Cote d’Ivoire, Angola and many others.

The geography of the participants is clearly showing the world is moving rather not to the East but the South East – it is where the Russian economic and political compass is set to today.

The business program will open with a plenary session. Speakers will discuss the instruments of a multipolar world order, the place of the Greater Eurasian Partnership in the system of the new world architecture, the integration of it with China’s “One Belt, One Road” initiative and other topics.

April 18, 2024
The World War II: rethink but not falsify

Amidst the global turbulence and the era of information there is a high risk to lose the historical heritage both material and the one that’s in our memories. For instance, the causes and the consequences of the World War II are often being retold in not a very true way – each country and each side has their own truth while the current confrontation between the West and the East adds some facts, often without any proof.

To save the history and keep it undeformed international experts from the Western and Eastern Europe, the Balkans and Russia gathered at the World Youth Festival for the discussion.

The event was also attended by teachers and students of Russian universities, as well as invited representatives from Spain, Serbia, Moldova and Kyrgyzstan, who specialize in the history of the Second World War.

During the discussion, Iker Bas, a leader of the organization Asociacion Sanchode Beurko Elkartea (Spain, involved in military reconstruction), said that, despite the tragedy of the civil war in Spain during the Second World War, it was difficult for him, like other Spaniards, to understand the suffering the peoples of the USSR came through, the people, who paid for the liberation of Europe with millions of lives. This feat of self-sacrifice of the Russian people must not be forgotten. Spain also respects history and hopes for cooperation in preserving the memory of The World War II.

According to Aleksa Gajic, the coordinator of the “Immortal Regiment” action in Belgrade, the Serbs remember and appreciate the fact that it was the Red Army that made a key contribution to the defeat of Nazi Germany and its allies in the European theater of operations. At the same time, currently in the countries of Europe, mainly the Eastern Europe, there is a growing trend towards the fight against monuments to Soviet soldiers, which requires censure and condemnation, including the involvement of international organizations. In Serbia itself, the People’s Liberation War of Yugoslavia holds the same place in history and culture as the World War II for the peoples of the USSR.

Sergey Danilyuk, the head of the military-historical association of Moldova “DOT” and the head of the national search center of Kyrgyzstan “Memory of the People” Romanova Tatyana focused the attention of those present on the lessons that future generations should learn from the tragedy of the Second World War. At the same time, it is ignorance and distortion of history that currently lead to conflict situations, including military actions.

In general, the dialogue that took place made it possible to determine the prospects for further joint activities to preserve the historical memory of the victory over Nazism in the 20th century.

The youth today must understand the conditions under which the post-war world order took shape and thanks to which, the only wish for a peaceful sky has been very clear for several decades of peaceful life.

The festival which brought together participants from 188 countries, became a platform where representatives of other states shared their experience in preserving the historical memory of the Second World War.

March 18, 2024