5-6 October 2006, Khabarovsk, Russia
On October 5-6, 2006, the Far Eastern International Economic Forum, under the aegis of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, will take place in Khabarovsk, the capital city of the Khabarovsk Krai. The main goal of the event is to work out mechanisms of legal and economic regulation aimed at improving the standard of living of the population in the Russian Far East. Successful implementation of priority investment projects on logistics, telecommunications, power infrastructure and natural reserves development are considered the groundwork for a new stage in Siberia and the Far East socioeconomic development.
The Far Eastern International Economic Forum is not a substitute for the 2005 Far Eastern International Economic Congress. The Far Eastern Congress will be regularly conducted under the aegis of the Federation Council once in two years. The first Congress session on September 2005 was mainly devoted to identifying the RFE socio-economic problems, ways of integration in the Asian Pacific Region, and the mechanisms of the local economy modernization.
The 2006 Economic Forum has more specific tasks—the main one is to negotiate and then approve a program on further development of Siberia and the Russian Far East. The ruling party of Edinaya Rossiya (Unified Russia), the main coordinator of the project, supports Victor Ishaev, Governor of the Khabarovsk Krai, and his team in devising a program that will really work. The Ministry for Economic Development and Foreign Affairs of the Khabarovsk Krai formed a task force that will organize the upcoming event.
The idea for conducting an economic forum in the RFE occurred to the general council of Edinaya Rossiya Party after Governor Ishaev’s impressive report made in Spring 2006 in Moscow. According to his words, the Program on the Russian Far East Development in 1996-2005 had realized only 10 percent of its full potential. The economic environment of the region improves very slowly. However, the RFE occupies almost 40 percent of Russia’s territory, while people living in the RFE account for only 7 percent of the whole Russian population. For the last 15 years, the population of the RFE regions has fallen 20 percent and still continues to decline. Judging by the Governor’s words, usually “the most initiative, energetic and hardworking people” migrate from the RFE to the other regions of Russia or abroad. As a result of the meeting, the council of Edinaya Rossiya decided to allocate 10-12 billion rubles ($370-445 million) for implementation of the Federal Program on the RFE development in 2006-2010.
About 700 participants will attend the Far Eastern International Economic Forum in Khabarovsk. Currently, the Khabarovsk Task Force is sending invitations to consulates of the countries potentially interested in participating in the Forum. They include Japan, China, the United States, Vietnam, India, South Korea and Korean People’s Democratic Republic, and Malaysia. The organizers of the Forum also envision participation of Siberia’s main partners from Switzerland, Germany, France, Great Britain, and Canada.
As of July 2006, representatives of Russian and Khabarovsk Krai Ministries, the State Duma, the Russian Academy of Sciences, large businesses, including RAO EES Rossii (Russian Unified Power Systems JSC), Rosneft Oil State Company, Russian Aluminum Company, Gazprom, and Transneft, and heads of Chita Oblast, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Sakha (Yakutiya) Republic, Novosibirsk Oblast, and some other regions of Russia confirmed their intention to attend the event. Many of them are members of the Forum Organization Committee.
Russian and English will be the working languages during the Forum.
The priority objective of the Forum is to work out and legally approve a program on Siberia and the Far East development. The ruling party support will ensure legislative power of the program and its further financial backing. On July 4, 2006, Boris Gryzlov held the first meeting of the Organization Committee of the Far Eastern International Economic Forum in Moscow. The Committee approved the conception of the Forum and its motto: “Through Development of Siberia and the Far East to Modernization of the Country.” It also agreed upon the Forum program and subject matter of round table sessions. As a result, the Forum will encompass 11 round table sessions or workshops, concentrating on the problems concerning population of the RFE, information communications, power industry, oil and gas sector, transport infrastructure, natural reserves development, fish industry, forestry, innovation activities, and tourism sector. Heads of the State Duma committees and ministries and leading scientists from the Russian Academy of Sciences will supposedly be facilitators during the round table sessions.
At the 8th Interregional Priamurskaya Industrial Trade Fair-2006, which will be held within the framework of the Forum, the RFE leading companies will display their products.
Contact:
Ministry of Economic Development and Foreign Relations of the Khabarovsk Territory Irina Besedina, Director of Foreign Economic Relations Department 72 Frunze Street, Khabarovsk, 680002 Russian Federation Tel: 7 (4212) 306-207 or 324-121 Fax: 7 (4212) 327-603 E-mail: vnesh_dir@adm.khv.ruwww.adm.khv.ru
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