MOSCOW, March 5. / TASS /. The organizing committee of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum decided not to hold the forum in 2020, the chairperson of the SPIEF organizing committee, Andrei Belousov told reporters on Thursday.

"In order to protect the health of Russian citizens, guests and forum participants, this year it’s been decided not to hold the forum, Belousov said. According to Belousov, the decision was made in connection with the announcement by the World Health Organization of an emergency of international importance due to the outbreak of coronavirus and information about its spread in the countries participating in the forum.