ST. PETERSBURG, June 6. /TASS/. The West has failed to prevent Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto from participating in the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), the foreign minister urged his European colleagues to come to Russia during a conversation with reporters.

"You know, I am not the kind of person who can be told what I can do and what I cannot do," he said, responding to a TASS question about his SPIEF participation.

"I would urge other European colleagues to come here and talk to the Russians as well. It requires courage, obviously," Szijjarto added, noting that it is easy to think about ending the war in Brussels, Washington, and Berlin.

The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) will be held on June 5-8. This year’s theme will be "The Formation of New Areas of Growth as the Cornerstone of a Multipolar World." Scheduled events include meetings for small and medium-sized businesses, creative industries, the SPIEF Youth Day, as well as the Drug Security, SPIEF Academy and SPIEF Junior forums. SPIEF is organized by the Roscongress Foundation. TASS is the information partner of the event.