Israeli Delegation May Co-Host Panel On Innovation During SPIEF In Russia In June

Israeli Delegation May Co-Host Panel on Innovation During SPIEF in Russia in June

An Israeli delegation may take part in a joint panel discussion with Russia about innovations and education at this year's edition of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), Israeli Ambassador to Russia Gary Koren said Monday

ST PETERSBURG (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th February, 2019) An Israeli delegation may take part in a joint panel discussion with Russia about innovations and education at this year's edition of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), Israeli Ambassador to Russia Gary Koren said Monday.

"One of the formats for holding a joint event during SPIEF 2019 could be a Russian-Israeli panel discussion on collaboration in innovation policy, retail trade, or education in the innovation sector," Koren said as quoted by the SPIEF organizer Roscongress Foundation during a meeting with Russian Presidential Adviser Anton Kobyakov.

According to the ambassador, Israel is also currently in talks with the Skolkovo Foundation, Russia's leading center for technological development, about cooperating on a business event dedicated to innovation policy in Moscow in May.

In addition, Koren expressed Israel's business interests in collaborating with Russian regional heads, specifying Russian livestock and the diamond industry as being of particularly "high" interest.

In response, Kobyakov said that Russia was open to all proposals for arranging relevant meetings and that a number of Russian-Israeli business agreements on joint production and commercialization of innovative products had been signed. He added that Russian companies were active in the Israeli information technology market.

The Israeli delegation at SPIEF 2018 was headed by Israeli Minister of Jerusalem Affairs Ze'ev Elkin, who, in parallel with the forum, met with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Maxim Akimov for a session of the commission on Russian-Israeli bilateral trade and economic cooperation. Following the meeting, Elkin expressed Israel's desire for trade between the two countries to surpass $3 billion, while Akimov remarked that their bilateral partnership had a bright future.

SPIEF, held annually in Russia's second largest city of St. Petersburg, is a major global platform for communication between business representatives and the discussion of crucial economic issues. This year the event will be held June 6-8.