Speeches and Interviews of the Permanent Representative

STATEMENT BY MR. ALEXANDER LUKASHEVICH,

PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION,

AT THE 1319th MEETING OF THE OSCE PERMANENT COUNCIL

10 June 2021

On the 24th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum

Madam Chairperson,

The 24th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum took place from 2 to 5 June under the motto “Together Again – the Economy of a New Reality”. The Forum was one of the largest events since the pandemic began, held in both face-to-face and blended formats. It was attended by 13,000 participants, 1,100 companies and around 3,000 foreign visitors from 140 countries. The largest delegation, with over 200 people, came from the United States of America. Over 800 transactions worth 3.8 trillion roubles (about 52 billion US dollars) were concluded.

Heads of State or Government of foreign countries were invited to the discussions, together with senior officials of major Russian and international associations, companies and banks, and leading global experts and politicians.

Federal Chancellor of the Republic of Austria Sebastian Kurz and Emir of the State of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani attended the plenary session via videoconference.

In his address, Russian President Vladimir Putin noted that “the need for open, constructive dialogue is particularly evident today at a time when it is vital to work together to overcome the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic, which has impacted all countries and severely restricted international ties. Other socio-economic issues such as poverty, education and employment, labour market prospects and violation of the rules of fair competition also require the most careful attention.”

One of the key themes of the Forum was the social agenda, which also touched on the role of women in the economy. OSCE Secretary General Helga Schmid addressed the session on gender equality in corporate governance via videoconference. We are grateful to Ms. Schmid for her constructive contribution. Incidentally, this was the first time a senior OSCE political representative has addressed this prestigious Forum.

The main facts and statistics are available on the “Events” page of the information and analytical system roscongress.org.

Thank you for your attention.