Russian Trade Representative in the United Kingdom Boris Abramov has expressed his hope in an interview with Sputnik that UK companies may participate more actively in this year's edition of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) than last year, when London disapproved of their presence at the event
LONDON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 02nd April, 2019) Russian Trade Representative in the United Kingdom Boris Abramov has expressed his hope in an interview with Sputnik that UK companies may participate more actively in this year's edition of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) than last year, when London disapproved of their presence at the event.
"Last year, there were difficulties because the UK authorities recommended [that the companies] skip the event, but the representatives of UK businesses still attended the forum last year. I think that if nothing extraordinary happens in the coming months, the Britons will participate in the forum more actively this year," Abramov said.
Russian-UK relations have been rather strained these past few years in the wake of Crimea's reunification with Russia in 2014 and the Skripal affair.
The SPIEF 2019 will be held in Russia's St. Petersburg on June 6-8. The forum has been held since 1997 and is now one of the key annual business events in Russia. Last year's edition brought together around 17,000 participants from over 140 countries.
