ST. PETERSBURG, June 16. /TASS/. Political scientist Dmitry Simes will moderate this year's plenary session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday.

"Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Algerian counterpart Abdelmadjid Tebboune will take part in the plenary session moderated by Dmitry Simes, CEO of the National Interest from Washington," the Kremlin spokesman told reporters.

He recalled that Putin and Tebboune will deliver speeches. "Then there will be a discussion," Peskov added.

"As always, we expect an interesting conversation, an interesting and informative speech [by the Russian president]. In this case, in fact, very solid material has been prepared for Putin's speech. We've already said that he will give a fairly detailed assessment of the situation in the economy, in global economic processes and outline the prospects for the near and medium-term future," the spokesman pointed out.

The 26th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) — Russia’s showcase annual economic and business event — is being held on June 14-17. The theme of this year’s forum is: "Sovereign Development as the Basis of a Just World: Joining Forces for Future Generations." TASS is the official information partner of the event.