Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani will be attending SPIEF remotely.
The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) kicked off in Russia on Wednesday, where some 5,000 participants including business representatives and officials, are in attendance.
This year’s event at the ExpoForum Convention and Exhibition Center is featuring Qatar as a special guest nation.
Qatar’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman was present to inaugurate the Qatar pavilion where more than 50 leading Qatari public, private sector entities are being represented.
Experts to discuss a new round of Arctic development at SPIEF 2021
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Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani is set to participate at the event remotely, while Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend in face-to-face format in the plenary session of the forum on Friday.
The business event is set to become the first major event of its kind since the Covid-19 pandemic began last year.
About 2,000 foreign participants from 53 nations are expected to visit SPIEF, which will also host the largest international delegations from the United States, China and Qatar.
Due to the ongoing pandemic and large numbers of attendees, organisers will apply strict precautionary measures hoping to contain the virus and ensure everyone’s safety.
Delegates from Britain, France, Italy and other countries will also be attending the business event.
“Up to 20,000 people are expected to attend the event, which will include more than 100 discussions dedicated to various economic, social and technological subjects,” Russian state media outlet Sputnik confirmed on Wednesday.
“To date, more than 320 agreements are being prepared for the signing at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum,” the CEO of the Roscongress Foundation, Alexander Stuglev, told Russia-24 TV channel.
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“These are agreements to be concluded between federal authorities and regions, between regions and companies of various kinds of investment agreements, and agreements on business development between companies,” he said.
High-ranking representatives from Iran, Mexico and the Central African Republic (CAR), as well as the President of the World Economic Forum Borge Brende, Total CEO Patrick Jean Pouyanne, and Siemens Energy AG head Christian Bruch are also expected to attend the event.
SPIEF agenda
Business dialogue between Russia, the US, Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, Finland, Japan, Latin America and Africa are expected at the event while prospects for economic cooperation within the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) will be discussed, Sputnik reported.
Investment projects will be one of the main key points of the event and in light of the recent health crisis, the programme is expected to touch on healthcare systems and improvements to technologies in the medical field.
According to Sputnik, “the forum’s agenda will also include issues related to the development of the Arctic, ‘green’ energy, and 5G and Big Data technology. Three Nobel Peace Prize laureates – Riccardo Valentini, Rae Kwon Chung, and Rodney John Allam – will discuss scenarios for the future of global energy at the SPIEF.”
Russian media confirmed that one of the SPIEF sessions will be dedicated to the host country’s experience in hosting the 2018 FIFA World Cup as well as Qatar’s preparation for the upcoming 2022 World Cup.
Speaking to Sputnik, Helga Maria Schmid, the secretary general of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), revealed plans to raise the issue of female economic empowerment during the business event.