ST. PETERSBURG, June 3. /TASS/. The severance of relations with Russia has resulted in a lack of economic growth in Moldova, which is zero, said Moldova’s former president Igor Dodon who leads the country’s largest opposition Party of Socialists.
"The breakdown in relations with Russia has led to Moldova’s lack of economic growth. Total inflation is over 70%. Gas prices have increased 4.5-fold due to the fact that we stopped buying it from Russia and now buy it through European traders, and at one point even sevenfold. Poverty, as per the World Bank, has risen to 33%. Some 400,000 people have left the country in the last three years," he said at a session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).
The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum is taking place on June 3-6. This year’s theme is "Pragmatic Dialogue: the Path to a Stable Future." The forum program is dedicated to shaping a new model of global development amid the ongoing transformation of the world economy.
The program includes the SME Forum, the Creative Industries Forum, the Day of the Future International Youth Economic Forum, and the Ensuring Drug Security Forum. As part of the cultural program, the Petersburg Seasons festival and the traditional SPIEF Sports Games will take place. This year, Russia’s national economic development institution VEB.RF is the title partner of SPIEF.
The Roscongress Foundation is the organizer of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. TASS is its official general information partner.