ST. PETERSBURG, June 4. /TASS/. The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) has become an important international event, Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani said on Friday during the SPIEF plenary session.

"This forum is taking place against the backdrop of unprecedented challenges that the economy has faced at local, regional and international levels, and amid the ongoing pandemic with its negative consequences for the global economy," the Qatari ruler said. "All this boosts the significance of the forum, which has become an important international economic event. It sets an example for the entire international community when it comes to promoting initiatives that help establish favorable conditions for economic and investment growth."

The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, organized by the Roscongress Foundation, is being held on June 2-5. The event includes forums touching on Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SME), other discussion panels such as the Healthy Society and Drug Safety forums as well as the SPIEF Junior session. SPIEF-2021 is being hosted in a face-to-face mode with all anti-coronavirus measures in effect. TASS is the official photo hosting agency and information partner of the event.

This year, Qatar is the forum’s guest country. It was informed earlier that Doha would bring the largest delegation in the history of its participation in international economic forums to St. Petersburg. The scale of Qatar’s participation fully corresponded to the level they had declared earlier.