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Putin to make a speech at SPIEF, meet with UN secretary general on June 7

Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov said earlier that the president will talk about main problems of the world economy and politics, and discuss the National Projects being implemented in Russia

ST. PETERSBURG, June 7. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin will make a speech at the plenary session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) on Friday. Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov said earlier that the president will talk about main problems of the world economy and politics, and discuss the National Projects being implemented in Russia. It is expected that Putin "will formulate some ideas about optimizing the system of global governance and bringing it closer to principles of equity, mutual respect and consideration of each other's interests," Ushakov added.

Among participants in the plenary session will be Chinese President Xi Jinping, who has arrived to Russia on June 5 with an official visit; Bulgarian President Rumen Radev; Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan; Slovakia's Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini; and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. Russian journalist and TV host Sofiko Shevarnadze will moderate the plenary session. After speeches, the leaders will traditionally respond to questions by session's participants.

Before the plenary session, Putin and Xi will meet with participants in the 2nd Russian-Chinese Energy Forum, among them top executives of over 50 Russian and around 60 Chinese companies. Russian State Duma member Yevgeny Primakov will moderate the discussion.

This forum is organized by Russia's Rosneft and China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) with the support of the Roscongress Foundation. Its aim is to develop dilaogue between Russia and China in the sphere of energy, increase effectiveness and expand the portfolio of joint projects, attract investments.

Ushakov earlier noted that China is Russia's largest economic partner. In 2018, the bilateral trade turnover increased by 24.5% and reached the record $108 bln. Russia holds leading positions in crude oil deliveries to China. The two countries also develop multifaceted cooperation in the sphere of peaceful nuclear energy.

Meetings with UN secretary general and businessmen

The Russian leader also plans to hold a separate meeting with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in St. Petersburg. The sides are expected to focus on strengthening cooperation between Russia and the UN; situations in Syria, Venezuela and around North Korea; as well as other relevant issues on the global agenda.

Ushakov said earlier that as a founding member of the United Nations Organization and permanent member of the UN Security Council, Russia pursues the course on strengthening UN's central role in international affairs. The Russian presidential aide said that Moscow stands for supremacy of international law and the UN Charter, sovereign equality of states, non-use of force and inadmissibility of attempts to revise the outcomes of the Second World War.

Putin will also hold talks with Prime Minister of the German State of Saxony Michael Kretschmer. Ushakov said that in general Putin "will hold many bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the forum - some of them planned, others not even included in any program." The Russian presidential aide announced "president's active and informal engagement with forum's participants."

Vladimir Putin will also hold a traditional meeting with heads of largest foreign companies. Ushakov said that businessmen "will share their opinions on how to activate attracting foreign investment and establish high-tech production in Russia.".