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National and regional business projects  discussed at SPIEF regional session in Chelyabinsk

National and regional business projects discussed at SPIEF regional session in Chelyabinsk

On 10 December, Chelyabinsk hosted a St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) session entitled “Russia’s Regions: New Areas of Growth. Infrastructure for Development”. The event was organized by the Roscongress Foundation in cooperation with the Russian Export Center and the Agency for Strategic Initiatives. It was 2018’s final regional session in a series that aimed to expand investment opportunities, develop the export potential of the regions, and promote specific areas.

“New Areas of Growth” in Chelyabinsk drew a great deal of interest among representatives of government bodies and entrepreneurs based in the region. Among those taking part in discussions were leading experts in economics, business, public-private partnership and investment, as well as members of the NGO sector and the media.

Boris Dubrovsky, Governor of Chelyabinsk Region, emphasized the importance of the SPIEF Regional Session, “There is a focus on major investment projects in Chelyabinsk Region. The best regional platforms are the ones to play host to ‘Russia’s Regions: New Areas of Growth’. Chelyabinsk needs to become a leading city in Russia with some of the best infrastructure for conventions and exhibitions. It needs also to possess the experience of hosting high-level international events in the run-up to the SCO and BRICS summits in 2020.”

The central event in the business programme was the plenary session. Among those in attendance were Vadim Zhivulin, Deputy Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation; Sergey Morev, Chief Federal Inspector for Chelyabinsk Region; Sergey Smolnikov, Minister of Economic Development of Chelyabinsk Region; Alexey Valkov, Director of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum; Alexander Malakh, Director for Regional Projects and Head of the Center for Investment Promotion at the Russian Direct Investment Fund; Dmitry Tvardovsky, General Director of InfraVEB; Sergey Brevnov, General Director of Ural Highway; and Alexander Dolgov, Partner at the global law firm Squire Patton Boggs. The event was moderated by Maksim Tkachenko, Executive Director of the PPP Development Center.

A key topic at the plenary session was the process of establishing institutions and mechanisms to support industrial development in the Russian regions. Discussions focused on issues related to developing regional infrastructure and improving support for investors.

The business programme then continued with a presentation session entitled “Promising PPP Projects in the Region”. The event provided attendees with the opportunity to learn about the stages in place today to develop the public-private partnership system in Chelyabinsk Region. The presentation programme was based on the agenda of the ROSINFRA Infrastructure Congress – a series of events focusing on the development of infrastructure and public-private partnership organized by the Roscongress Foundation and PPP Development Center.

The event’s closing remarks were given by Alexey Valkov, Director of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, who underscored the importance of holding SPIEF regional sessions. “As a project, ‘New Areas of Growth’ has existed for three years. Over that time, more than 15 events have already been organized in various regions across Russia. We have seen a great deal of interest from both government and the business community. Free and open discussions on important aspects of collaboration, and a format which we maintain for these SPIEF regional sessions help achieve maximum synergy between participants. We would be delighted to see all guests who attended our regional sessions at our key event in June next year – the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. There, we will have the opportunity to draw conclusions and build plans for the future,” he said.

The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum will take place on 6–8 June 2019.

The SCO and BRICS summits will be held in July 2020 in Chelyabinsk.

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