22 November 2019
The Eastern Economic Forum is slated to become a permanent platform with
events under the EEF umbrella, including field sessions in Far Eastern regions,
occurring throughout the year. The issues discussed at these events will shape
the business programme of the Forum itself. This decision was reached following
an Eastern Economic Forum 2020 Organizing Committee meeting chaired by Deputy
Prime Minister of the Russian Federation and Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy
to the Far Eastern Federal District Yury Trutnev.
As Yuri Trutnev noted, “the Eastern Economic Forum is not a singular
event, it is one of the elements of a general system for developing the Russian
Far East. Work in this area has gone on for six years now. 45 legislative acts
on the development of the Russian Far East have been passed, 20 Advanced
Special Economic Zones have been created, and the free port regime is now
operational in five regions. With the help of ASEZ and the free port regimes,
the Russian Far East is seeing the implementation of over 2,000 investment
projects. The total volume of investment across all of these projects is RUB 4
trillion. RUB 733 billion have already been invested and over 250 enterprises
have been constructed. Over 70,000 people have received plots of land as part
of the Far Eastern Hectare programme, allowing them to build houses, do
business, and launch farming enterprises. The Forum serves as the platform for
presenting and discussing Far Eastern development mechanisms, for understanding
what needs improvement and what areas require attention. This is a platform for
meetings with major Russian and international investors. The Forum serves as an
opportunity to direct President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin’s
attention to the issues that need to be addressed in the Russian Far East. That
is also a very important moment for us. The Forum has hosted a State Council
Presidium meeting for the third year in a row. We hope to continue this
tradition. It is time to look to the future and consider the 6th
Eastern Economic Forum. Far Eastern Federal University will continue to serve
as the Forum venue.”
The meeting summarized the main outcomes of EEF 2019. The Forum was
attended by a record number of participants: over 8,500 people from 65 states
and territories. 270 agreements worth a total of RUB 3.4 trillion were signed.
The Forum featured over 120 events held with the participation of over 700
speakers and moderators. The plenary session was attended by the Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation and four foreign heads of state
representing – Shinzō Abe, Prime Minister of Japan, Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of
India, Mahathir Bin Mohamad, Prime Minister of Malaysia, and Khaltmaagiin
Battulga, President of Mongolia. Over the Forum's five years of existence, it has
featured the participation of eight leading Asian economies. In 2020, the 6th
Eastern Economic Forum will be held on 2–5 September.
According to Adviser to the President of the Russian Federation and
Deputy Chairman of the Eastern Economic Forum Organizing Committee – Executive
Secretary Anton Kobyakov, “each year, the Eastern Economic Forum proves itself
to be a worthy, authoritative, and popular communication platform for
discussing key global economic issues.” He noted that the Forum programme
traditionally includes the most topical issues and discussion formats and that
the programme has expanded beyond the Forum itself, creating the field session
format. “As part of the preparations for EEF 2019, Mumbai (India) and multiple
Far Eastern regions hosted field sessions dedicated to the main Far Eastern
development challenges. This format will continue as part of the preparations
for the following Forum,” he said.
He also believes that other EEF tracks should be expanded. “The sporting
programme included over 20 events in 14 different types of sports. Its central
event was the International Jigoro Kano Judo Tournament. The Forum's calling
card is the ‘Far East Street’ exhibition. This was the first year that the
exhibition featured the Russian–Japanese House of Sumo, which may become an
annual event. The highlight of the cultural programme was the exhibition featuring Italian painter Sandro
Botticelli’s Madonna della Loggia from the collection of Florence’s Uffizi
Gallery, organized with the support of the Italian embassy and Sberbank,” said Kobyakov.
The meeting also touched on preparations for the EEF 2020 business
programme.
“It has been proposed that we expand the programme to include the topics
of global competition, intergovernmental cooperation in Asia with Russia's
participation, and improving people's quality of life. The Forum's Start Day
will include a foresight session with representatives of major Russian and
international businesses and experts to discuss new projects and integration
mechanisms for Russia and the Asia-Pacific region,” said Minister for the
Development of the Russian Far East Alexander Kozlov.
The meeting also covered the execution of the orders issued by the
President of the Russian Federation following the conclusion of the Eastern
Economic Forum 2019.