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Kremlin welcomes Davos forum organizers' decision on participation of Russian businessmen

Spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that "a certain selective attitude to our businessmen is unacceptable"

MOSCOW, December 17. /TASS/. The Kremlin welcomes the decision of organizers of the World Economic Forum in Davos on participation of Russian businessmen in the event, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.

"We welcome the fact that the economic forum in Davos and its heads have accepted our position regarding the fact that a certain selective attitude to our businessmen is unacceptable," he said.

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Peskov also commented on media reports about five terms, under which Russian businessmen were allowed to participate in the forum. Particularly, the issue is about restricted communication with US peers during the forum, including their participation in the events organized by the US side.

"The forum prefers to be very cautious regarding the topic of restrictions imposed by several countries, first of all the US, against certain (Russian) entrepreneurs, and consequently they have made an attempt to couple their interest in continued contacts with our entrepreneurs with the restrictions in force against them," he said. "At the end of the day, contacts with US businessmen may easily be replaced by (contacts) with entrepreneurs from other countries," Peskov added.

On Saturday, a Russian government source told TASS that the organizers of the 2019 World Economic Forum in Davos had removed restrictions on the participation of Russian businessmen blacklisted by EU and US. Since the Davos forum organizers have changed their mind and removed the restrictions on the participation of Russian businessmen they imposed earlier, an official government delegation will go to Davos to take part in the forum, the source said. Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said earlier that Russia would refuse to participate in the Davos forum scheduled to be held on January 22-25, 2019, unless organizers changed their decision concerning the participation of Russian businessmen.

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