Russia's Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) will preserve its traditional thematic blocs in the 2023 edition but focus discussions on the country's development under sanctions, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yury Trutnev said on Tuesday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st August, 2023) Russia's Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) will preserve its traditional thematic blocs in the 2023 edition but focus discussions on the country's development under sanctions, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yury Trutnev said on Tuesday.
"This (Russia's development under sanctions) is the forum's main topic. We worded the forum's motto as 'Toward cooperation, peace and prosperity.' We are convinced that humanity simply has no other alternative. We still must cooperate, must live in peace. The fact that our relations with some countries are not exactly going as we want them to go is temporary," Trutnev told a briefing after a governmental meeting on EEF preparations.
The deputy prime minister, who is also the presidential envoy to the Far Eastern Federal District, added that the forum's traditional thematic blocs will remain unchanged, but their contents will change to reflect "the different international environment, different challenges, and the different role of the Far East in our country."
Trutnev also said that organizers would request participation of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"We are going to ask (the government) for support in holding a meeting by forum moderators with the president. Why? The forum is a big platform. Thousands of people from dozens of countries will participate in it. The meeting with the president is necessary in order for the forum's discussions not to peter out at its venue but reach the top authorities. This will allow us to convey to him all the bravest, most important and most efficient ideas," the envoy said.
Another focus of discussion at the forum will be changes in the Far East's role in Russia's development, as the region has become the only transport corridor for the country's external trade after it was slapped with Western sanctions. This new role requires a comprehensive discussion of new requirements toward all means of transportation, including maritime, railroad and even riverine, Trutnev said.
The Eastern Economic Forum was established by the Russian Presidency in 2015 as an international platform for facilitating business cooperation in the Asia Pacific and stimulating investments in Russia's easternmost regions. The eighth EEF-2023 will take place from September 10-13 in Vladivostok.
Multiple packages of sanctions were imposed on Russia after it launched its special military operation in Ukraine in February 2022. Among other sectors, the sanctions hit Russian banking and logistics.
