MOSCOW, June 4. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin in a speech at the plenary session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum will address the state of affairs in the national and global economy, politics and likely talk about Ukraine, said Kremlin Aide Yury Ushakov.
"In his speech, our president will share his vision of the current situation in the world economy and politics. He will assess the problems that are currently faced by the international trade and financial systems. He will describe the situation in the Russian economy and assess its performance in the conditions of the special military operation," he said.
According to the Kremlin official, the speech will also be about structural changes, and the country’s strategy for long-term development.
"He will address national, industrial and technological projects, digitalization issues, private business, stimulation of scientific and technological progress and so on," Ushakov said. "Of course, as he fields questions, as always, the president will answer, I think, numerous questions on international issues, including those related to the Ukrainian crisis."
The plenary session will be the centerpiece of the conference and is scheduled to take place at 2 p.m. on June 7. Putin’s speech is set to kick off the session. The president is then expected to pass the floor to the presidents of Bolivia and Zimbabwe. The leaders will participate in a discussion in the second half of the plenary session.
Extensive program
The official opening ceremony of the forum will be held at 1 p.m. on June 6. Central African Republic’s Prime Minister Felix Moloua, Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang, El Salvador’s Vice President Felix Ulloa, and BRICS New Development Bank President Dilma Rousseff have been invited as high-profile guests.
This year’s SPIEF theme will be "The Formation of New Areas of Growth as the Cornerstone of a Multipolar World." The events are grouped into four thematic blocks. According to Ushakov, they are: Transition to a Multipolar Model of the World Economy; the Russian Economy: Goals and Objectives of the New Cycle; Technologies Ensuring Leadership; Government Priorities: Healthy Society, Traditional Values and Social Development.
The SPIEF program lists almost 400 business events. They include panel discussions, thematic round tables, business breakfasts, televised debates and 12 business dialogues with representatives of various countries, including Abkhazia, Azerbaijan, Brazil, Venezuela, India, Kazakhstan and China.
According to the latest data, the conference is set to bring together more than 17,000 people from 136 countries.