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Sochi 2013 Forum to be held in Imereti Lowland

The Sochi mayor apologised to the participants in the forum for discomfort

SOCHI, September 22 (Itar-Tass) — The Sochi 2013 Investment Forum will take place at the Olympic park, in the Imereti Lowland, Mayor Anatoly Pakhomov said on Saturday.

The Sochi mayor apologised to the participants in the forum for discomfort that is felt by those who live and arrive in Sochi. “There is no street, which is not being repaired or modernised. There is no economic branch where cardinal changed are being made,” Pakhomov said, adding that much was being done in compliance with the projects, which had been signed at the latest economic forums.

“All is for the future. The next economic forum in 2013 will be held in the Olympic park in good conditions where we will be able to work comfortably,” he said.

The Sochi mayor invited the participants in the forum to take part in the next forum.

The key event of the forum was a plenary session with the participation of Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, “Competitiveness: Development or Survival”. The prime minister also took part in signing several important strategic agreements, including an agreement on cooperation between Rosneft and Gazprom and an additional agreement on cooperation between the administration of Krasnodar Territory and LUKOIL. Vnesheconombank and Tatarstan signed a memorandum on the implementation of the Innopolis territorially detached innovation centre.

Fifty-five Russian regions presented their expositions. Krasnodar Regions signed 324 agreements at the sum of 334.1 billion roubles in the fields of housing, the fuel and energy sector, the agro-industrial complex, tourism and others.

The Sochi administration signed eight investment agreements at the sum of 41.87 billion roubles, including an agreement on the construction of a resort centre at the settlement of Loo at the sum of 1.2 billion roubles, a business centre (one billion roubles) and a park and ride lot (1.5 billion roubles). “The construction of this facility will start a new transport concept of the resort. The concept was worked out jointly with Austria. The purpose is to free the city of traffic congestion and reduce automobile traffic to minimum in downtown as it was done in several European cities,” Pakhomov said.

In his words, the forum also agreed to build the largest food logistic centre in Dagomys at the cost of 12 billion roubles.

The forum involved 7,300 representatives of Russian business and power. The Sochi Investment Forum was also attended by delegations from 40 world countries, including from Austria, Belarus, Britain, Germany, Italy, Nigeria, Serbia, the United States, Ukraine and France.

About 1,300 mass media representatives covered the business and cultural events of the Sochi 2012 International Investment Forum.