MOSCOW, January 23 (Itar-Tass) — Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on January 23–24 will take part in the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos where he will speak at a session of the “Scenarios for the Russian Federation” forum and at the Group of Twenty panel discussion, the press service of the Russian government reported.

The RF prime minister “will hold meetings with the two leading communities of the Davos Forum: the International Business Council (100 executives from leading global companies) and the International Media Council (managers and editors-in-chief of 100 major world media,” the press service said.

The visit program also includes “Medvedev’s interviews with the world leading media and bilateral meetings with the leaders of the WEF participating states.”

Among the forum participants are RF Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich, Minister Mikhail Abyzov, RF presidential envoy for the Group of Twenty leading industrialised nations (Sherpa) Kseniya Yudayeva, heads of ministries and departments, heads of regions, leading representatives of the Russian business community.

The World Economic Forum is an international non-governmental organization founded in Geneva in 1971. The members of the forum are more than 1,000 large companies and organisations from more than 50 countries (about 20 – business organisations from Russia). The organisation’s objectives are to assist the international community in addressing the socio-economic development issues, the expansion of international trade and economic cooperation.

Many groups and clubs on professional interests, including the club of major business leaders, club of the major world media leaders, the group of the managers of companies and organisations of various industry sectors, the group of the leaders of national research organisations, the group of prominent artists have been created and work within the forum framework. In recent years, the Leaders of Tomorrow and Pioneers of High Technology groups have been formed.

The organisation’s budget is formed by annual membership fees and payments by participants in the events held under the aegis of the World Economic Forum.

Professor Klaus Schwab has been WEF President since its foundation. Schwab sees the World Economic Forum as the ‘glue’ between different stakeholders in society. According to him, “The World Economic Forum is not a decision-making body. It is a platform for initiatives, programmes and taskforces. It gives each of our participants the possibility to shape their own opinion based on the latest strategic insights.”