Programme

Russia views developing collaboration within the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) as one of its foreign policy priorities. The Republic of Kazakhstan is chairing the SCO Heads of State Council in 2016–2017, while Russia chairs the Heads of Government Council.<br />At the SCO summit in Astana on June 8–9 this year, India and Pakistan will become full members of the organization. One of the challenges raised by this development will be to ensure that India and Pakistan can be integrated comfortably within the SCO’s collaborative framework.<br />A dominant trend at the present stage in the development of the global economy is the active promotion of regional integration processes. Russia has presented proposals for forming a broad Eurasian partnership, which would include the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), the SCO, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). One approach to realizing these proposals will be to join together the building of the EAEU with China’s Silk Road Economic Belt project which, together with the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, is part of the ‘One Belt, One Road’ concept. The effective participation of SCO member states in collaborative efforts in this area will doubtless have a positive effect on the resolution of national economic development issues.

Moderator:
Vladimir Padalko , Vice President, Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation

Panellists
Rashid Alimov , Secretary General, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation
Tofail Ahmed , Minister for Commerce of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh
Mahmoud Vaezi , Minister of Communication and Information Technology of the Islamic Republic of Iran
Evgeny Vinokurov , Director, Centre for Integration Studies, Eurasian Development Bank (EDB)
Alexey Gruzdev , Deputy Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation
Xin Li , Director, Institute for Economic Comparative Studies, Shanghai Institute for International Studies
Veronika Nikishina , Member of the Board, Minister in Charge of Trade, Eurasian Economic Commission
Bakhtiyer Khakimov , Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Affairs

Evgeny Vinokurov

Director, Centre for Integration Studies, Eurasian Development Bank (EDB)

He was educated at the universities of Kaliningrad, Fairfield, Göttingen, Grenoble and Moscow. He earned a Ph.D. in economy from Pierre Mendes-France University (Grenoble II) and Dr. hab. in economy from the Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO), Moscow. After several years of experience in applied economy research projects at the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS), the Catholic University of Leuven and the University of Jena he proceeded to working with the EDB, being responsible for macro- and microeconomic analysis in particular, as well as the development bank's research program. Dr. Vinokurov is the founding director of the EDB Centre for Integration Studies since 2011. The Centre specializes in quantitative research and carries out activities in the following fields: economic integration in the Eurasian Economic Union, economic modeling, mutual investment and corporate integration, trade economics, fiscal and monetary issues, cooperation in the market for financial services, and systematic research of Eurasian integration. Over the last five years, the Centre realized 50+ projects and published 37 reports. The Centre works extensively for the national ministries of the EDB member states, presidential administrations and the Eurasian Economic Commission.

Xin Li

Director, Institute for Economic Comparative Studies, Shanghai Institute for International Studies

Born 1965 in Henan, China. Professor (2002), Ph.D in Economics (1994). Director, Center for Russian and Central Asian studies, Shanghai Institutes for International Studies (Since 2008). 1987 -1989, He worked as a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Zhengzhou Institute of light industry. Since 2007 worked at the Shanghai University of Finance and Economics right up to 2008 associate Professor, Professor and Head of the Department of World Economy and the Center for Transition Economy. 2008-2012, Director, Institute for Word Economy studies, Shanghai Institutes for International Studies. Education and Academic Degrees: Graduated from the Belarus State University, 1989-1994. Ph.D in Economics; Post-Doctor of Economics (received at the Fudan University, 1995-1997); Professor of Economics (received at the Shanghai University of Finance and Economics in 2002). Honors and Awards: From 2012, receives a special government subsidy of the State Councial, China; In 2003 won the Ministry of education, Ministry of personnel, Ministry of science and technology of PRC, the Propaganda Department, organization department and the United Front Work Department of the CP Central Committee awarded the «National Medal of personnel returning from overseas advanced individual»; In 2004, he was awarded the title of "outstanding returned students from Shanghai" by the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee and municipal government.

Veronika Nikishina

Member of the Board, Minister in Charge of Trade, Eurasian Economic Commission

In 1991, Veronika Nikishina graduated from the D.I Mendeleev Moscow University of Chemical Technology. She earned her Ph.D in Economics, having defended her thesis on the topic "Managing Access of Russian goods on the Foreign Markets in Modern Conditions". From 1999 to 2014 worked in various positions in the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation, in particular as head of the Department of the Americas and the Department of Coordination, Development and Management of Foreign Economic Activity. Also, she was the Deputy Head of the Russian Delegation that negotiated Russia's accession to the WTO. From January, 2015, to January, 2016, she served as Assistant to the Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation. From February 1, 2016, she is Member of the Board - Minister in charge of Trade of the Eurasian Economic Commission.

Bakhtiyer Khakimov

Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Affairs

Bakhtier Khakimov, born 1950 1974: graduated from MGIMO Moscow State Institute of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the USSR. He is fluent in Persian, Pushtu and English. Bakhtier Khakimov has worked for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since 1974. He has held various diplomatic positions at the central office and foreign offices. 1994: First Deputy Director of the Third Asian Department; 1994–1998: Russian Ambassador to Namibia; 1999–2002: Director of the First CIS Department, Member of the Board of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; 2002–2006: Russian Ambassador to Portugal; 2006: Ambassador-at-Large. August 2006 – January 2010: Director of the Department for ASEAN and Asian Issues. January 2010 – September 2016: Director of the Department for Asian and Pacific Cooperation. Since September 2016: Ambassador-at-Large of the President of the Russian Federation for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Bakhtier Khakimov has the diplomatic rank of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary.

Anna Nesterova , Founder, Chairman of the Board of Directors, GlobalRus Trade
Djoomart Otorbaev , Former Prime Minister of the Kyrgyz Republic
Pedram Soltani , Vice President, Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (ICCIMA)
Ju Khee Hong , Director of Operations, CIMB ASEAN Research Institute (CARI); Director of Operations, ASEAN Business Club

Anna Nesterova

Founder, Chairman of the Board of Directors, GlobalRus Trade

Anna Nesterova (PhD) is a public figure and a renowned entrepreneur. She founded a b2b portal in 2015 as a response to the huge demand for such portal by the Russian business and as a solution to the sanctions ban on EU & US trade. Anna has a vast experience of over 15 years in the financial sector. She managed the investment company “Center Capital” in 2008-2017. Prior to this she used to work as the Head of Client Operation at BK Region Ltd. since 2005. She used to work as an economist in AKB “Metallinvestbank” since 2002. Anna Nesterova has been actively involved in public activities too. She is as a member of the Presidium of the General Council of the Russian public organization "Business Russia", as well as the head of the Financial Markets Committee of "Business Russia". She is also a member of the Committee on Securities with fixed income of FB “MMVB”. In 2015 she had been nominated by Russia as 'Woman Icon' for achievements in the field of business in APEC forum "Women as the driving force behind inclusive growth."

Pedram Soltani

Vice President, Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (ICCIMA)

Pedram Soltani is a renowned Iranian businessman, known for his courageous views and efforts for modernization of Iranian business communities. In 2011 he was elected as the vice president of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (ICCIMA), the youngest who has ever got to this position in the country. In 2015 he was re-elected as first vice president of ICCIMA. Soltani is founder and director of several national level business associations and corporates, to name some of them, Iranian Oil, Gas and Petrochemical products Exporters’ Association, Oil Products Export Development Fund of Iran (OPEXFUND), Association of Iron ore producers and exporters of Iran, Association of Paper and Cellulosic products, etc. Soltani is Chairman of Persol Corporation, an Iranian conglomerate among top 400 Iranian companies based on IMI evaluation, active in Energy, Oil and Gas, Mining, transportation, Agroindustry, Wood and Paper, etc.

Ju Khee Hong

Director of Operations, CIMB ASEAN Research Institute (CARI); Director of Operations, ASEAN Business Club

Jukhee Hong heads the CIMB ASEAN Research Institute (CARI), a think tank dedicated to support ASEAN economic integration by advocacy and research set up by CIMB Group, Malaysia. She oversees CARI’s overall research, which has produced the Lifting-the-barriers (LTB) Reports with sectoral policy recommendations that form the baseline recommendations for prioritised sectors of the ASEAN Business Advisory Council to the leaders. She also heads the ASEAN Business Club, an association of chief executives of larger corporations and companies in ASEAN, where CARI serves as the secretariat and drives its initiatives and regional cooperations. She is also the Deputy Executive Director of ASEAN Business Advisory Council. She is appointed to the Technical Working Group (TWG) of the Non-Tariff Barriers (NTBs)/Non-Tariff Measures (NTMs) Removal Steering Committee of the ASEAN Business Advisory Council, representing Malaysia. She is a member of the Malaysia National Committee for Pacific Economic Cooperation (MANCPEC). Prior to that, she was invited to join the Ministry of Information of Malaysia by three consecutive cabinet ministers to consult and implement revamp of the national vernacular news and current affairs programmes. Before joining the public service, Jukhee has had a successful career as a trilingual and award-winning media practitioner through her decade long career in mainstream broadcast journalism.