It is not just entrepreneurs who are interested in small business development in the Far East – the state shares this concern as well. Small and medium businesses are the lifeblood of the urban economy; they generate added value, bring in tax revenue and create jobs. Developing SMEs is a major step towards achieving many of the region’s socio-economic development goals. Analysing the situation in the Far East provides an insight into the unique and most pressing challenges faced by small businesses on a daily basis. Such challenges must be addressed to ensure economic development and foster entrepreneurial spirit in the region. What are the main problems when running a small business in the Far East and how do entrepreneurs see them being resolved? Given the uniqueness of running a small business in the Far East and the peculiarities of developing SMEs in the northern territories and the Arctic, what are some specific solutions to the problems outlined? What is the most effective way of stimulating SME development in cities, and where are the most promising markets located? Could access to the Asia-Pacific Region solve the problem of insufficient demand?

Moderator:
Alexander Kalinin — President, All-Russian Non-Governmental Organization of Small and Medium-Sized Businesses OPORA RUSSIA

Panellists:
Pavel Volkov — State Secretary, Deputy Minister for the Development of the Russian Far East and the Arctic
Aleksandr Isayevich — Member of the Board of Directors, General Director - Chairman of the Management Board, Russian Small and Medium Business Corporation
Sergey Lelyukhin — Director General, Far East Auction Fish House
Maxim Parshin — Deputy Minister of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation
Xue Xulou — Chairman, Heilongjiang Association of Foreign Investment Enterprises (online)
Konstantin Shestakov — Head of the City of Vladivostok

Front row participants:
Konstantin Basmanov — Head of Small and Medium Enterprises Unit, Promsvyazbank
Oleg Kostenko — Acting Minister of Investment, Industry and Enterprise of Kamchatskiy Krai
Sergey Mazunin — General Director, NTK Close Corporation
Marina Romanova — Chief Managing Director for SMEs and Procurements, VEB.RF
Aleksandr Timofeev — General Director, Far Eastern Peat Company

The advantages of the agricultural sector in the Far Eastern Federal District include the accessibility of a significant land bank and proximity to sales markets in East and Southeast Asia. Agro-industrial products are one of the most important commodities for the Far Eastern Federal District in terms of production and export. In 2020, the Far East accounted for 3.4% of all agro-industrial products manufactured in Russia. In order to achieve the goal of increasing export volumes to USD 45 billion by 2024, as well as reducing dependence on food imports across the Far Eastern Federal District, the agricultural land bank must remain active as efficiently as possible. How can new potential agricultural land be brought into circulation? How can export barriers be removed, allowing the industry to achieve the necessary export targets? What are the potential solutions to issues of transportation, storage and transshipment of agricultural products? What products are expected to see demand from domestic and foreign markets? What conditions need to be created in the Far East in order to attract investors and trading partners from the Asia-Pacific region? How can effective sales channels for Far Eastern products be created in Asia-Pacific markets?

Moderator:
Vadim Moshkovich — Chairman of the Board of Directors, Rusagro

Panellists:
Choi Won Bo — Head of the Far East Representative Office, Lotte International (online)
Dmitriy Zhilyakov — Head of the Center for Strategic Analysis of Large Business, Russian Agricultural Bank
Nikita Zakharov — Director, Joint-Stock Company «National Mercantile Exchange»
Sergey Levin — Deputy Minister of Agriculture of the Russian Federation
Dmitry Savenkov — General Director, Legendagro Primomorye LLC
Alexander Sarapkin — General Director, Amuragrocenter
Ilya Strokin — Director of the Agribusiness Center of Excellence, KPMG in CIS
Oleg Turkov — Minister of Agriculture of the Amur Oblast
Denis Tsesarenko — Founder, Teros LLC; Founder, Sporos LLC

Front row participants:
Galsan Dareev — Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Republic of Buryatia - Minister of Agriculture and Food of the Republic of Buryatia
Maxim Kobin — Vice President, Russian Export Center
Mikhail Maltsev — Executive Director, Fat-and-Oil Union of Russia
Valery Nagel — Beneficiary, Plemennoi Zavod Komsomolets
Vladimir Sitnov — Senior Vice President, Sberbank
Nikolay Kharitonov — Chairman of the Committee for Regional Policy and Issues of the North and Far East, State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation

For the Russian Federation and the Far East in particular, hydrocarbons are a strategic resource for development and will remain so in the coming decades. Gas boasts hugely important competitive advantages as an energy resource: it is the cleanest fossil fuel, large and accessible gas reserves are available and, most importantly, the technologies for the extraction, transportation and storage of gas have already been developed. The gas sector is highly profitable, while the proximity of the Far East to the rapidly developing markets of the Asia-Pacific nations and the region’s significant resource potential point to the possibility of accelerated development for export-oriented projects. High added value must be achieved in gas and hydrocarbon production, including production integrated with oil refineries, in order to maximize gross regional product (GRP) and tax revenues. At the same time, the domestic needs of the regions must not be forgotten. Levels of gasification in the Far East are almost three times lower than the national average, while two thirds of thermal power stations in the Far Eastern Federal District still run on coal. Connecting industrial and residential facilities to gas will drive economic development, create new jobs, increase incomes and reduce air pollution caused by emissions from the combustion of coal and fuel oil. The gasification of the Far East should take into account the fuel and energy mix of each specific region. In some areas proximity to the trunk infrastructure will make efficient pipeline gasification possible, while in others the best option will be independent gasification. In some cases, a large industrial enterprise serving as an anchor consumer will be required in order to make gasification economically feasible. How can the implementation of export-oriented projects be prioritized and what should the areas of focus be? How can capital expenditure on the maintenance and development of the gas pipeline system be reduced? Are the state support measures already in place sufficient for the effective development of gasification in the regions of the Far Eastern Federal District? What conditions must be in place in order to develop petrochemical plants, including those that are integrated with oil refineries? What else needs to be done in order to accelerate the development of mini LNG projects? Should the issue of decarbonization be taken into account when implementing gasification in the Far Eastern Federal District?

Moderator:
Grigory Berezkin — Chairman of the Board of Directors, ESN Group

Welcome Remarks:
John Gordon — Managing Director, Johnson Matthey
Satoru Ichinokawa — Chief Operating Officer, Chemicals Div., Marubeni Corporation
Pierroberto Folgiero — Chief Executive Officer, Managing Director, Maire Tecnimont

Panellists:
Grigory Vygon — Managing Director, VYGON Consulting
Eduard Gudkov — Deputy Chairman of the Management Board, NOVATEK
Gadzhimagomed Huseynov — First Deputy Minister of the Russian Federation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic
Andrey Zelenskiy — Chief Managing Director, VEB.RF
Dmitry Konov — Chairman of the Management Board, SIBUR Holding
Vitaly Markelov — Deputy Chairman of the Management Committee, Member of the Board of Directors, Gazprom
Pyotr Pak — Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Amur Region
Nikolay Sabitov — General Director, Himproekt
Pavel Sorokin — Deputy Minister of Energy of the Russian Federation

Front row participant:
Stanislav Neverov — General Director, East Arctic Oil and Gas Corporation

In attracting investments, the Far East has to compete with other regions of Russia in addition to the countries of the Asia-Pacific region. If at the start of the development plans for the Far East, investors could obtain unique advantages in the form of an advanced regulatory and legal framework based on the best practices in the Asia-Pacific region, the benefits of Advanced Development Territories zones (TOP), e-visas and other novelties, today these tools have already become best business practices throughout the country. During the pandemic, many countries have taken new steps in favor of the openness, acceleration, simplification, and digitalization of public services and investment processes, with a number of these measures included in anti-crisis packages. The Russian government has introduced mechanisms for agreements on the protection and promotion of capital investments (SZPK), a strict regulatory measure aimed at improving the investment climate in Russia. The question arises: what should the Far East have or acquire in this new reality in order to remain competitive and get ahead? Is the Far East competitive today in the race for investments? What do investors expect in this changed world? What bold, new ideas in shaping the investment climate can the Far East provide as a new leap forward?

Moderator:
Vladimir Solodov — Governor of Kamchatka Territory

Panellists:
Anatoliy Bobrakov — Deputy Minister of the Russian Federation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic
Sergey Kolesnikov — Co-owner, Managing Partner, TECHNONICOL Group of companies
Alexander Kondrashin — Director General, Agency for Investment Development of Sakha Republic (Yakutia)
Mikhail Orlov — Partner, Head of Tax and Legal, KPMG in the CIS
Leonid Petukhov — Managing Partner, Sistema PJSFC
Valeriya Repkova — General Director, Project Initiatives Development Agency
Roman Trotsenko — Founder, Chairman of the Board of Directors, AEON Corporation
Roman Chichkanov — Deputy General Director for Investments, Far East and Arctic Development Corporation

Front row participant:
Alexander Osipov — Governor of Trans-Baikal Territory

The fishing investment quota mechanism was first put in place five years ago and since then, investment by Russian fishing companies has increased almost fivefold. To date, 24 new fish processing plants have either been built or are under construction in the Russian Far East and Arctic, along with 85 new fishing and crab-catching vessels. At the same time, the COVID-19 pandemic has posed new challenges to Russian fishers and further highlighted a long-standing issue – that of inadequate infrastructure. What metrics demonstrate that the investment quotas are effective at facilitating growth in the fishing industry? What have been the biggest challenges that fishing companies have faced with regards investment quotas, and what changes need to be made? What should be the main area of focus when expanding investment quotas? Would it be more effective for the government and industry to concentrate on processing marine bio-resources at sea or on land? What should be prioritized in the coming years in terms of developing logistics for the fishing sector?

Moderator:
Alexander Krutikov — Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Investment Partnership "Ryba.RF" Corporation

Panellists:
Aleksandr Verkhovsky — Founder, Hydrostroy
Ivan Mikhnov — President, Antey Group of Companies
Yuliya Morozova — Acting Deputy Chairman of the Government of Kamchatskiy Krai; Minister of Economic Development and Trade of Kamchatskiy Krai
Sergey Nesvetov — Executive Director, North West Fishing Consortium
Alexey Rakhmanov — Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, United Shipbuilding Corporation (online)
Vladimir Sitnov — Senior Vice President, Sberbank
Sergey Tarusov — Chairman, Lenin Collective Farm Fishery
Gleb Frank — Chairman of the Board of Directors, Russian Fishery Company
Ilya Shestakov — Head, Federal Agency for Fisheries (Rosrybolovstvo)

Front row participants:
Anatoliy Bobrakov — Deputy Minister of the Russian Federation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic
Alexey Buglak — President, Russian Pollock Cachers Association
Aleksei Osintsev — President, Association of Fishing Fleet Shipowners

The Far East is a vast region. As well as having a harsh climate, many areas are located far from Russia’s major population centres. However, the region also boasts a wealth of natural resources, and enjoys proximity to the fast-growing market of the Asia-Pacific region. As a result, the region possesses enormous potential that is still to be fully realized. The last 18 months have seen a marked drop in passenger and cargo traffic, as well as disruption to global supply chains. Consequently, there has been a palpable shift in the global economic and geopolitical landscape. Periods of turbulence, however, invariably bring with them great opportunities and great change. For the Russian Far East, this period could also serve as a springboard for future success in the new reality. The country’s leadership has stated that the development of the Far East is to be a national priority for the entire 21st century. Accordingly, it has paid close attention to the region, together with the Arctic. This fact, together with a focus on advanced economic development and the creation of comfortable living conditions for the population, mean that the region’s potential for intensive growth is continuing to increase. The region enjoys proximity to the major sales markets of Japan, China, South Korea and other countries of the fast-growing Asia Pacific region. In addition, work to develop the Northern Sea Route continues apace. These factors are helping to support and scale up successful initiatives aimed at boosting the region’s export potential. At the same time, it is crucial to remember that the quality of work done to develop projects, as well as adherence to time frames, can have a bearing on their success for decades to come. In light of this, two ambitious landmark megaprojects in the region deserve special attention – the construction of a tidal power plant at Kamchatka’s Penzhin Bay (together with the development of green hydrogen at the plant), and the creation of a hydrogen cluster on Sakhalin. Is the region’s hydrogen agenda a utopian fantasy, or does it represent a genuine opportunity to attain a new status and level of development? What economic benefits will these megaprojects bring to the country? To what degree is Russia prepared to implement these megaprojects and unlock the region’s development potential in the period to 2030? Who are the main consumers of new forms of energy? And what impact will they have on the geopolitical situation in the Asia-Pacific region?

Moderator:
Vasily Savin — Partner, Head of Power and Utilities, KPMG in the CIS

Panellists:
Roman Berdnikov — First Deputy General Director, Member of the Management Board, RusHydro
Pavel Grachev — Chairman of the Board of Directors, H2 Clean Energy
Gadzhimagomed Huseynov — First Deputy Minister of the Russian Federation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic
Artem Dovlatov — Deputy Chairman, Member of the Management Board, VEB.RF; General Director, VEB.DV
Valery Limarenko — Governor of Sakhalin Region
Anton Moskvin — Vice President for Marketing and Business Development, Rusatom Overseas

Front row participant:
Konstantin Korotov — General Director, Kamchatka Development Corporation

Building agglomerations on the basis of existing and new cities is a popular global trend and an effective new tool for the economic and social development of cities. Despite its relatively small population, the Far East has all the prerequisites for the scaling up of its cities and regions. Projects driving the integrated development of a number of territories are currently being developed in several Far Eastern regions. It is hoped that integration processes will facilitate the more effective use of the Far East’s natural advantages, infrastructure, human capital and financial resources, and will provide an additional incentive for business development through the expansion of the services market and the creation of new niches. How can a spatial development strategy for cities in the Far East be implemented? Why are masterplans necessary and how are smart cities created? Will high-quality architecture improve living standards in the Far East?

Moderator:
Dmitry Pristanskov — State Secretary – Vice-President, Norilsk Nickel

Panellists:
Konstantin Bogdanenko — Co-owner, The DNS Corporate Group
Igor Egorov — Member of the Management Board, Vice President for Infrastructure Development, MTS PJSC
Tatiana Mokhova — General Director, Unity LLC
Sunguk Moon — Head of Global Business, KT Corporation
Alexey Muratov — Partner, KB Strelka
Vitaly Mutko — Chief Executive Officer, DOM.RF
Alexander Tarabrin — Head of Real Estate Project Management and Asset Management Unit – Member of the Board, VEB.RF
Natalya Trunova — Auditor, Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation
Alexey Chekunkov — Minister of the Russian Federation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic (online)
Konstantin Shestakov — Head of the City of Vladivostok

Front row participants:
Maxim Dankin — Deputy Director for Regional Development, Information and Analytical Center of the State Commission for Arctic Development
Nikita Stasishin — Deputy Minister of Construction, Housing and Utilities of the Russian Federation

Russia has set a key strategic goal for transport and logistics development in order to increase cargo transit between Asia and Europe tenfold by 2030. To realize this objective, the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation is implementing a project to create unmanned logistics corridors with a digital infrastructure that will ensure the safe movement of autonomous trucks for all global vehicle manufacturers. The starting point will be the M-11 Neva, the world's first motorway that will be populated by unmanned lorries by 2024. The proven solutions will then be scaled to the Central Ring Road, the M-12 road from Moscow to Yekaterinburg, which is currently under construction, and approximately 20,000 kilometres of federal highways. With this approach, Russia will gradually build a digital bridge between Asia and Europe. Which companies will be the first participants in the Europe and Asia project, and when can we expect unmanned trucks to transport goods from Asia to Europe and back? What steps has Russia already taken to create the world's first transit corridors for autonomous road transport?

Moderator:
Olga Arkhangelskaya — Partner, Head of Real Estate, Hospitality, and Construction Services, Head of the Transportation, Infrastructure and Government, and Public Group in the CIS, EY

Panellists:
Kirill Bogdanov — Deputy Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation
Evgeniy Ditrikh — Chief Executive Officer, GTLK
Anton Zamkov — General Director, RT-Invest Transport Systems; Director, Digital Transport and Logistics Association
Igor Kashirin — General Director, GLOSAV
Sergei Yavorski — General Director, Volvo Vostok

Front row participants:
Oleg Pankratov — Chief Executive Officer, VTB Infrastructure Holding
Sergey Sergushev — Deputy General Director for Logistics, Russian Post
Anatoliy Smorgonskiy — General Director, Gett in Russia

In September 2020, the National Programme for the Socioeconomic Development of the Far East until 2024 and with a View to 2035 was approved, which provides guidance to authorities at all levels, business, and society focus their efforts on the key priorities for the development of the region. The main goals of the programme are to accelerate the development of the region’s economy, improve the demographic situation, and better people’s quality of life. What are the initial results of the implementation of the National Programme, and how does this affect the achievement of national goals for the accelerated development of the Far East, as well as most importantly, generate real improvements in people’s lives? What projects and decisions related to the economic development of the Far East have already been adopted and how do they affect the achievement of the goals for accelerated economic growth? What steps should be taken to assure the successful implementation of the National Programme in the future?

Moderator:
Mikhail Kuznetsov — Director, Eastern State Planning Center (FANU Vostokgosplan)

Panellists:
Sergey Kirov — Member of the Board, First Deputy Director General, RusHydro
Elena Martynova — Deputy Head,The Federal Service for State Registration, Cadastre and Cartography (Rosreestr)
Nikita Stasishin — Deputy Minister of Construction, Housing and Utilities of the Russian Federation
Marat Shamyunov — Deputy Minister of the Russian Federation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic
Alexander Shokhin — President, Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs

Front row participants:
Ivan Abramov — Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Economic Policy of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation
Yuliya Morozova — Acting Deputy Chairman of the Government of Kamchatskiy Krai; Minister of Economic Development and Trade of Kamchatskiy Krai
Vasiliy Nagibin — Acting Head of Economic and Social Policy Affairs Department, Office of the Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy to the Far Eastern Federal District
Aysen Nikolaev — Head of Sakha Republic (Yakutia)

As of 1 January 2022, a blanket ban on the export of unprocessed softwood logs and high-value hardwood logs will come into force in Russia. Given the insufficient processing capacity in the Far Eastern Federal District, there is a risk of job losses in the logging industry. There are also a number of factors constraining the development of the timber industry, including the lack of up-to-date information about timber reserves, the absence of forest roads and power supply systems, the use of low-productivity manual labour in timber harvesting, and the fragmentation of non-leased forest areas. What should the timber industry development strategy to 2030 entail and how should it be implemented? What state support measures are needed in order to minimize the socioeconomic risks associated with the ban on unprocessed timber exports, and how can the raw material base be used more efficiently? What should be done to ensure the regeneration of timber resources? How can regulatory challenges in the forestry sector be overcome, and does the problem of illegal logging in the Far East still need addressing? When will the federal state information system launch its forestry project, and how should timber businesses prepare? How can data about timber resources be better utilized, and how can the process for acquiring forest leases be simplified?

Moderator:
Alexander Abramov — Chairman of the Board of Directors, EVRAZ plc

Panellists:
Kirill Berman — Executive Director of Digital Transformation, Far East and Arctic Development Corporation
Anatoliy Bobrakov — Deputy Minister of the Russian Federation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic
Oleg Bocharov — Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation
Dmitrii Dobrynin — Vice President, New Forest Pro
Nikolay Ivanov — Managing Director, Segezha Group
Konstantin Lashkevich — Chief Executive Officer, RFP Group
Vladimir Sitnov — Senior Vice President, Sberbank
Viacheslav Spirenkov — Deputy Head, Federal Forestry Agency
Hiroshi Tomishima — Senior Managing Director, Iida Group Holdings Co Ltd

The rapid socio-economic development of the Far East is one of the most important objectives of state policy set by the Russian President. To achieve this effectively, it is necessary to overcome a number of serious challenges. These include higher risks for investors and the resulting cost of funding. Experience shows that the barriers to investors in the Far East can be effectively overcome in partnership between business and government, with the involvement of development institutions. In recent years, such large-scale investment projects have been implemented with their participation, creating a radically new economic landscape in the Far East, such as the gas chemical cluster in the Amur Region, the production of ships and mineral fertilizers in the Primorye Territory, copper and gold mining in the Khabarovsk Territory, the modernization of airports, etc. A number of promising projects are on the way that could have significant socio-economic effects for the macro-region's economy and residents. How can we ensure the rapid socio-economic development of the Far East? What role does infrastructure play in this development? What steps should be taken to realize the region's tourism and export potential? How can we accelerate urban development and achieve a sustainable influx of people into the macro-region?

Moderator:
Artem Dovlatov — Deputy Chairman, Member of the Management Board, VEB.RF; General Director, VEB.DV

Panellists:
Konstantin Basyuk — Chairman of the Board of Directors, Khabarovsk Airport
Sergey Bachin — General Director, Vasta Discovery
Alexander Krutikov — Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Investment Partnership "Ryba.RF" Corporation
Stalbek Mishakov — CEO, Northern Star LLC
Alexey Muratov — Partner, KB Strelka
Vladimir Solodov — Governor of Kamchatka Territory
Konstantin Shestakov — Head of the City of Vladivostok

Front row participants:
Andrey Anikin — Deputy General Director for Project Development and Support, USK MOST JSC
Aleksandr Devyatkin — Head of Infrastructure and PPP Projects Financing, Credit Department, VTB Bank
Konstantin Sukhorebrik — General Director, Aurora Airlines

It will not be possible to achieve accelerated development in the Far East unless economic ties between regions and established centres of growth are strengthened and expanded. In other words, an agglomeration effect needs to be achieved on a national scale, and a developed transport infrastructure is a prerequisite to this process. What’s more, transport infrastructure needs to develop at a more rapid rate than other sectors. This should ultimately translate into reduced transport costs for all business entities, and to these ends, efforts need to focus on three areas: expanding and overhauling traditional forms of transport in the Far East – rail, road and air; essential infrastructure for maritime multimodal transportation needs to be put in place (particularly Northern Sea Route) including river transport and inland waterway infrastructure; and driverless transport. What are the current requirements with regards infrastructure? What can be done to support the flow of imports and exports and do tariffs need to be put in place pertaining to the access to infrastructure? What potential does multimodal transportation hold for the economy of the Russian Far East? What prospects exist for inland waterways and driverless transport in the Far East?

Moderator:
Roman Trotsenko — Founder, Chairman of the Board of Directors, AEON Corporation

Panellists:
Maxim Akimov — Chief Executive Officer, Russian Post
Oleg Belozerov — Chief Executive Officer – Chairman of the Executive Board, Russian Railways
Gadzhimagomed Huseynov — First Deputy Minister of the Russian Federation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic
Evgeniy Ditrikh — Chief Executive Officer, GTLK
Alexandrs Isurins — President, Chairman of the Executive Board, TransContainer
Ekaterina Lyakhova — Director for Business Development, The State Atomic Energy Corporation ROSATOM; Deputy Director, Chairman of the Board of Directors, JSC Atomenergoprom
Irina Olkhovskaya — Chief Officer for Seaport and Railway Projects, UMMC
Stephan Solzhenitsyn — Chief Executive Officer, Siberian Generating Company; Chief Executive Officer, SUEK
Vadim Shvetsov — General Director, Sollers Group

Front row participants:
Alexander Krutikov — Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Investment Partnership "Ryba.RF" Corporation
Nikolay Chernetsov — Director of Strategic and Operational Consulting Practice, KPMG in the CIS

Measures were put in place last year aimed at curtailing the off shoring Russian operations including: instituting stricter requirements for international tax information exchange; a re-evaluation of double taxation avoidance agreements with a number of countries; and offing plans to expand this practice to other traditionally low-tax jurisdictions. This has been coupled with the enhancement of SAR policies to incentivize the re-domiciliation of foreign companies in the Russian Federation. At present, over 47 holding companies have made the decision to move to special administrative regions of the Russian Federation, however, take-up of SAR policies on Russky Island remains extremely low. Over the 2018–2021 period the total investment by SAR residents of Russky Island was RUB 300 million, while SAR investments at Oktyabrsky Island have already exceeded RUB 2 billion. With business interest towards SAR policies mounting, new plans have been announced for unprecedented measures aimed at stimulating economic and investment activity on the Kuril Islands. Given equal SAR conditions, what would businesses need to see in order to move to Russky Island? What extra measures are needed to ensure a comfortable return to the Russian Federation for businesses? Can we expect a second wave of migrations given the planned changes, and what kind of businesses should we expect to see in SAR within the next two years? Will the insular territories of the Russian Federation become an alternative to foreign offshore companies for businesses?

Moderator:
Mikhail Orlov — Partner, Head of Tax and Legal, KPMG in the CIS

The Far East has a great filmmaking tradition. Residents of Khabarovsk were first introduced to this global industry with the opening of the city’s first cinema in 1910. And in 1925, the Far Eastern Newsreel Studio was established in the city, making it the oldest of its kind in the country (and it still exists to this day). The acclaimed Vasilyev brothers’ film Chapaev was filmed in Primorye Territory, while in 1975, Tokyo hosted the world premiere of Dersu Uzala, which was shot almost in its entirety outdoors in Khabarovsk Territory. The film picked up an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, making it one of three Russian films to win an Oscar. It also took the gold prize at the 9th Moscow International Film Festival in 1975. Today, the Far East is attracting a great deal of interest from Russian and international filmmakers, making it all the more important to offer new forms of support to the industry. What are the prospects for establishing a film cluster in the Far East? What can be done to encourage production companies to make films in the region? What forms of support are likely to be most effective with regard to the development of the film industry?

Moderator:
Aleksandra Maksimets — General Director, "SEAWOLF. Cinematic stories creation" LLC

Panellists:
Yefim Zvenyatsky — Artistic Director, Primorsky Academic Drama Theatre named after M. Gorky; Russian Government Cultural Affairs Award 2016 Winner
Alexander Melnik — Film Director, Screenwriter, Member of Russian Guild of Film Directors
Dina Podprugina — General Director, Baikalkino
Alexey Romanov — Artistic Director, Autonomous Institution of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) State Oil Company "Sakhafilm"
Fedor Scherbakov — General Director, Lenfilm Film Studio

Front row participant:
Afanasiy Savvin — General Director, Sakha Republic Development Corporation

Six of Russia’s ten largest regions by area are located in the Far Eastern Federal District, and of Russia’s five regions characterized by a low population density and harsh climate, four are also in the Far East. What’s more, ten of the Far Eastern Federal District’s eleven regions have a fiscal capacity below that of the Russian average, with four falling below the minimum amount. How will regions of the Far East be able to attain national targets with such levels of fiscal capacity? Might it be possible to move forward without a development budget? To what degree are fiscal imbalances dangerous and why do negative intergovernmental transfers exist at a municipal level, but not at a regional level? Will additional support measures help improve quality of live and stem the flow of people leaving the Far East? Why is it that in the past ten years, the average fiscal capacity of the Far Eastern Federal District has risen by a mere 13%? A number of decisions have been taken this year regarding measures to support the regions. Are these steps sufficient to restore budget equitability? Would increasing the volume of intergovernmental transfers (including grants) prove effective, or would it be better to transfer certain powers to the federal authorities?

Moderator:
Vladimir Solodov — Governor of Kamchatka Territory

Panellists:
Vladimir Klimanov — Director, Institute for Public Finance Reform (IPFR); Head of the Regional Policy Center, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA)
Alexander Osipov — Governor of Trans-Baikal Territory
Tatyana Polovaikina — First Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Amur Region
Diana Samandas — Minister of Finance of the Magadan Oblast
Natalya Trunova — Auditor, Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation
Marat Shamyunov — Deputy Minister of the Russian Federation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic

Front row participant:
Mariya Avilova — First Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Khabarovsk Krai

Tourism is set to become a driver not only of sustainable development but also social stability in the Far East, contributing to an increased quality of life for the region’s residents. Active efforts in federal and regional tourism policy in recent years have included the introduction and operation of advanced special economic zones (ASEZs) and the Free Port of Vladivostok (FPV), the consolidation of joint public–private initiatives and the implementation of tourism projects in the Far East. Clearly, a main issue in terms of attracting investments is reducing the time frame for implementing investment projects, which is a possibility thanks to increased tourist flows and the region’s increased visibility. What are the factors hindering the development of tourism, what needs to be changed and what effective tools exist to support integrated development in tourist areas?

Moderator:
Sergey Bachin — General Director, Vasta Discovery

Panellists:
Pavel Volkov — State Secretary, Deputy Minister for the Development of the Russian Far East and the Arctic
Taras Demura — General Director, TUI Russia
Alexander Kozlov — Minister of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation
Elena Lysenkova — Deputy Head, Federal Agency for Tourism (Rosturizm)
Dashi Namdakov — Founder, Fund for the Promotion of Culture and Art named after Dashinima Namdakov
Olga Surikova — Director, Tax and legal, KPMG in the CIS
Aleksandr Tertychnyy — General Director, Anterra
Alexey Tsydenov — Head of the Republic of Buryatia

In many regions of the Far East, there is no market for social services, primarily due to low population density, dilapidated or often non-existent infrastructure, and low tariffs that do not allow for immediate improvements in the quality of services. In international practice, so-cial services are provided using extrabudgetary sources and private operators, creating compe-tition in this market and ensuring a higher quality of services. And in this case, the Far East acted as a flagship: in the regions, private operators are already implementing projects using mechanisms to attract private investment. For example, Yakutia launched Russia's first social impact project. Now 4 out of 5 projects are being implemented in the Far East and 3 more are under development. Another area of impact investment is infrastructure investment. Attract-ing private investors to create infrastructure for social services and healthcare will enable the regions, together with a private partner, to solve social problems with less budgetary ex-penditure on its creation. Today, there are already examples of private investors creating and targeting social facilities in major Russian cities, but given the low demand, particularly due to the low population density in the Far East, such private initiatives need government support. What is the vision for the further development of impact investment from the main partici-pants: government and business. What motivation do investors have? What tasks will be solved in the regions using this mechanism? What areas of social services need to be devel-oped? How will private investments and the competences of non-governmental organizations influence the improvement of the quality of services provided to the population? What needs to be done in order to achieve growth of impact investment in Russia?

Moderator:
Oksana Kosachenko — President, Sistema Charitable Foundation

Panellists:
Anatoliy Bobrakov — Deputy Minister of the Russian Federation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic
Kirill Bychkov — First Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)
Anton Drozdov — Deputy Chairman, Promsvyazbank
Sin Chih-Hoong — Chairman, Traverse Ltd (online)
Svetlana Yachevskaya — Deputy Chairman, Member of the Board, VEB.RF

Front row participants:
Alexey Mavrin — General Director, OPECA
Andrei Modestov — General Director, Medskan Group of Companies

The Far East is home to exciting IT projects and high-tech startups, and a number of developers from the Far East have already achieved success on global markets. In order to strengthen its export potential, the Far East must secure a fundamental technological advantage by establishing itself as the largest high-tech and IT hub in Russia, focusing on domestic and foreign markets. What unique competencies need to be developed in order to position the Far East at the forefront of global technological development? What systemic measures can help to drive breakthrough growth in high technologies and the IT industry? What is the potential of the Far East in terms of breaking into the high-tech markets of the Asia-Pacific region?

Moderator:
Tagir Aushev — Head of the Laboratory of High Energy Physics, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology

Panellists:
Sergey Batekhin — Chief Executive Officer, Head of the Management Board,
Ivan Kolomoyets — Co-Founder, Uchi.ru (online)
Rustam Milanov — Chief Executive Officer, Visitech
Maxim Parshin — Deputy Minister of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation
Ruslan Sarkisov — Chief Executive Officer, Far East High Technologies Fund
Anatoly Semenov — Minister of Innovations, Digital Development and Communication Technologies of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)

Front row participants:
Yevgeny Virtser — General Director, Key Point
Alexander Drozdov — Director General, Optimizing Technologies
Simon Zagaynov — Chief Executive Officer, ExpoPromoter (Biletum Group) (online)
Aleksei Iuzhakov — Chairman of the Board of Directors, Promobot

The changing nature of the global energy market, climate regulation, and the associated structural changes in global energy demand processes are creating new opportunities and risks for all players in the worldwide energy industry. The most crucial aspect is combating climate change. In addition to the climate agenda, the traditional way in which the energy sector operates is also gradually changing along with technological progress. At the threshold of global energy changes, there is an urgent need to keep national economies competitive and accelerate their economic growth through access to energy. In this context, the development of low-carbon energy sources becomes a vital issue. The state's role as a driver of the energy transition should include support for such projects, which means developing a systematic approach in this area and creating conditions for the investment attractiveness of major projects for the development of the electric power complex in the Far East. What are companies' strategies for responding to the increasing importance of the climate agenda? What are the companies' approaches to generation development? What should be the industry policy for the long-term sustainability of gas and electricity supply in the face of ever-increasing demand? What are the prospects for creating a competitive environment in the energy sector in the Far East? What are the opportunities for ergonomic and regulatory involvement of the state in 'new energy' projects and practical public-private partnership tools?

Moderator:
Anton Poriadine — Partner, CIS EY Parthenon Leader, Co-leader of Energy sector in EMEIA, EY

Panellists:
Roman Berdnikov — First Deputy General Director, Member of the Management Board, RusHydro
Kirill Bychkov — First Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)
Vitaly Korolev — Deputy Head, Federal Antimonopoly Service of the Russian Federation
Chong Soo Park — Chairman, The Presidential Committee on Northern Economic Cooperation (online)
Oleg Sirazetdinov — Vice President, Rusatom Overseas

Front row participant:
Aleksey Kaplun — Chief Executive Officer, H2 Clean Energy

Modern and accessible infrastructure helps to increase a region’s investment attractiveness, contributing to its economic potential and development. At the same time, looking at the largest projects allows us to consider the inverse relationship. Projects that act at accelerators of regional development contribute to the creation of associated transport, energy and social infrastructure, making them attractive hubs for economic resources and human capital. Implementing projects on this scale is only possible with the direct involvement and support of federal government. What is the impact of major projects on the regional economy and what is their potential for accelerating regional development? Should the emphasis be on infrastructure to support projects, or projects to spearhead the creation of new infrastructure?

Moderator:
Grigory Berezkin — Chairman of the Board of Directors, ESN Group

Panellists:
Oleg Belozerov — Chief Executive Officer – Chairman of the Executive Board, Russian Railways
Dmitry Govorov — Vice President for Government Relations and Strategic Communications, Russian Copper Company
Mikhail Degtyarev — Acting Governor of Khabarovsky Territory
Valery Kazikayev — Chairman of the Board of Directors, Udokan Copper
Aleksey Kozlov — Member of the Management Board, Managing Director, SIBUR
Oleg Melnikov — Executive Vice President - Head of the Department of Banking Support for Contracts of Gazprombank (Joint-stock Company)
Aleksey Molsky — Deputy Director General for Investment, Capital Construction, and Sales of Services, Rosseti
Ksenia Razuvaeva — Head, Federal Agency for Youth Affairs (Rosmolodezh)
Nikolay Sabitov — General Director, Himproekt

The Far Eastern Federal District enjoys a leading position in the production of diamond, coal, zinc, copper, lead, tungsten, gold, silver, tin and rare earth metal reserves. Mining companies gain access to long-term reserves of mineral resources by acquiring new licenses, but do not always launch operations in licensed areas immediately. Furthermore, some companies prefer export-oriented projects, meaning that there are a number of extraction sites across the Far Eastern Federal District where almost no deep processing of raw materials with high-tech equipment takes place. The macroregion’s resource potential cannot therefore be fully realized. What methods can be used to boost exploration and promote the introduction of unused extraction licenses into commercial circulation? What adjustments should be made to existing tools in order to support the growth of SMEs? What are the prospects for developing and implementing the ‘declarative principle’ in the Far East? Is a special approach to regulating resource management required in the Far East?

Moderator:
Pavel Grachev — Chief Executive Officer, Polyus

Panellists:
Grigory Vygon — Managing Director, VYGON Consulting
Alexander Kozlov — Minister of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation
Denis Manturov — Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation
Aysen Nikolaev — Head of Sakha Republic (Yakutia)
Oleg Novachuk — Chairman of the Board of Directors, Mining company Baimskaya
Anna Tsivileva — Chairman of the Board of Directors, Kolmar Group

Front row participant:
Oleg Sienko — First Vice President, Russian Copper Company

Russia operates a system of incentives for investors and like all countries is fine-tuning investment mechanisms to adjust to conditions and attract investors to the Far East. State support measures in place in the Far East include advanced special economic zones, a free port and infrastructure support, and are reflected in the implementation of investment projects. In turn, the successful implementation of these projects is a significant factor in the territory’s development. Increasing reliability and confidence in national decision-making and improving its quality has a positive impact on investment attractiveness and international relations. This has a knock-on effect on the development of the regions and their communities, as well as the national economy as a whole. How does national jurisdiction impact macroeconomic development? What support measures should be adopted to support the successful implementation of investment projects in the region? How effective are incentive measures? What should Russian jurisdiction look like in the near future and how can this be achieved?

Moderator:
Vladimir Gruzdev — Chairman of the Board, Association of Lawyers of Russia

Panellists:
Arthur Davtyan — General Prosecutor of the Republic of Armenia
Alexander Kalinin — President, All-Russian Non-Governmental Organization of Small and Medium-Sized Businesses OPORA RUSSIA
Igor Krasnov — Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation
Alexander Liberov — President, Siemens in Russia
Svetlana Orlova — Auditor of Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation
Kumar Prashant — President, The Bar Association of India
Aleksey Serko — State Secretary, Deputy Minister of the Russian Federation for Civil Defence, Emergencies and Elimination of Consequences of Natural Disasters
Boris Titov — Presidential Commissioner of the Russian Federation for the Protection of Entrepreneurs’ Rights

A customer-centric state based on IT solutions is now a reality. New digital platforms are being launched via the state services web portal and regional management centres are beginning to operate. As a result, the Far East is for the most part no longer being seen as just a vast expanse. People no longer feel as though they are unable to communicate with the state simply by virtue of being in a remote location. Meanwhile, the concept of a centre is fundamentally evolving. A customer-centric state revolves around each individual, rather than their location. The provision of high-quality services and the ability to communicate with the state are key objectives for a modern management system. Digital communications and services are transcending geographic obstacles and enabling isolated regions to develop in a more balanced way.

Moderator:
Alexey Migunov — Co-founder, PrimaMedia

Panellists:
Dmitry Alexeev — General Director, DNS Group LLC
Dmitry Godunov — First Deputy Head, Analytical Center for the Government of the Russian Federation
Kirill Istomin — First Deputy General Director, Dialogue Regions
Vladimir Komlev — Chief Executive Officer, National Payment Card System
Ekaterina Reznikova — Vise President, Member of the Management Board, Head of the Digital Business Unit, MTS Bank
Vladimir Solodov — Governor of Kamchatka Territory

Front row participants:
Anton Gorelkin — Member of the State Duma of the Committee of the Council of the Federation of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation on Information Policy, Information Technology and Communications (online)
Elina Sidorenko — General Director, Platform for Working with Entrepreneurs’ Enquiries

Aviation plays a crucial role in ensuring that each region of the Russian Far East enjoys reliable transport links. This is true of transport within individual regions, the wider region at large as well as between the Far Eastern Federal District and central Russia. In many instances, remote settlements can only be reached via aeroplane or helicopter. At the same time, the population mobility coefficient for the Far Eastern Federal District is half that of the Russian average (0.35 compared to 0.72). Making the Far East more accessible by air would help achieve accelerated socioeconomic development and make the region more attractive to investors. Accordingly, the government is directing a great deal of attention towards achieving this aim. Publicly subsidized airline tickets are available to people officially residing in the Far East, as well as to citizens who are entitled to benefits. Certain routes within the Far Eastern Federal District are similarly being subsidized, and each region within the district is helping to cover expenses borne by airlines providing inter-municipal flights. In addition, work is being done to establish a single airline for the whole of the Far East, and to modernize the airfield network.

Moderator:
Mikhail Kuznetsov — Director, Eastern State Planning Center (FANU Vostokgosplan)

Panellists:
Oleg Bocharov — Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation
Evgeniy Ditrikh — Chief Executive Officer, GTLK
Konstantin Sukhorebrik — General Director, Aurora Airlines
Alexey Tsydenov — Head of the Republic of Buryatia
Igor Chalik — Deputy Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation

Front row participants:
Ivan Abramov — Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Economic Policy of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation
Nikolay Kharitonov — Chairman of the Committee for Regional Policy and Issues of the North and Far East, State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation
Andrey Chikhanchin — Deputy Chief Executive Officer for Commerce and Finance, Aeroflot

The COVID-19 pandemic and recent incidents in the Suez Canal have led to a rethink of traditional routes for transporting goods from Asia-Pacific countries to Europe and back. Even with long-term contracts for transportation through the Suez Canal, cargo owners have been forced to diversify flows and look for alternative routes, including through the Far East of Russia. In addition, deep sea freight rates have increased by almost eight times over the past year, which provides the Russian Far East with additional competitive advantages as a new logistics hub. In 2021, freight traffic through the Far East increased by 20% compared with 2020. It is clear that with the growing volume of traffic through Russia, the Northern Sea Route also has an even greater chance of becoming a full-fledged alternative to the Suez Canal. How significant are infrastructural insufficiencies on routes through Russian territory from the Asia-Pacific region to Europe now? What is the future of international transport corridors and how should we coordinate the development of their infrastructure and their operation while taking into account the interests of all member states? Will the NSR be able to ease the burden on routes through the Russian Far East despite the limited infrastructure? What projects are being implemented today to attract container traffic to the NSR? What measures to support railway operators and what technological solutions will optimize cargo clearance procedures and reduce delivery time from the Asia-Pacific countries to Europe and via routes through Russia?

Moderator:
Alexandra Suvorova — Anchor, Russia 24 TV Channel

Panellists:
Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem — Group Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, DP World
Kirill Bogdanov — Deputy Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation
Gadzhimagomed Huseynov — First Deputy Minister of the Russian Federation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic
Ruslan Davydov — First Deputy Head, Federal Customs Service of Russia
Sergei Ivanov — Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation on Environmental Protection, Ecology and Transport
Zsolt Katona — Managing Director of Maersk Eastern Europe (online)
Kirill Komarov — First Deputy General Director, Director of the Development and International Business Unit, ROSATOM State Atomic Energy Corporation
Dmitry Konov — Chairman of the Management Board, SIBUR Holding
Andrey Severilov — Chairman of the Board, Far-Eastern Shipping Company
Yi Zhang — General Manager, Liaoning Port Group (online)
Aleksey Shilo — Deputy Managing Director, Head, Centre for Corporate Transport Services (CFTO), Russian Railways

Achieving national development goals requires a comprehensive approach to and the implementation of large-scale public projects, including those related to the country's infrastructure development. One solution is to create a network of modern university campuses that meet international standards for building university in-frastructure. International experience of developing university campuses demonstrates their essential role and significance in addressing not only the educational and research tasks of universities but also in creating a favourable environment for stimulating innovation and entrepreneurial activity and the social development of individual districts and cities. Today, the campuses of the world's leading universities are centres of business and cultural activity in cities and regions. A modern campus strengthens the university brand in the interna-tional higher education market. It also ensures its global competitiveness, thus forming conditions for the de-velopment of science and technology, advanced economic growth, and the country's reputation as a comforta-ble and safe place for international students and researchers. This objective is being developed through a pro-ject to create a network of modern university campuses. Russian Government Decree No 1268, dated 28.07.2021, established the primary conditions for implementing the above-mentioned project. The creation of campuses will not only help to improve the quality of education but will also lead to scientific break-throughs as part of the interaction between leading Russian and foreign scientists, and will boost the devel-opment of the surrounding areas by integrating the campuses into the overall urban infrastructure, which will allow them to become a driver of economic growth of the metropolitan area.

Moderator:
Evgeniy Szhenov — Scientific Director, Expert-Analytical Center "Scientific And Educational Policy"

Panellists:
Mikhail Alashkevich — Managing Director, VEB.RF
Nikita Anisimov — Rector, National Research University Higher School of Economics
Mikhail Degtyarev — Acting Governor of Khabarovsky Territory
Valery Falkov — Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation
Alexey Chichkanov — First Vice President, Gazprombank

Front row participants:
Maksim Vedyashkin — Vice Rector for Campus Management, Far Eastern Federal University
Andrey Kiselev — First Deputy General Director, VTB Infrastructure Holding
Nikolay Stetsko — Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Primorsky Krai

There is huge demand for infrastructure in the Far East, and every major project typically requires a road or rail link, gas and electricity supply, water and wastewater treatment facilities. Social infrastructure that can meet people’s needs must also be created in the future centres of economic growth where thousands of new jobs are expected to be created. It is impossible, in a time of budget constraints, to provide simultaneous state support for all projects being implemented, while no business is capable of building all the necessary infrastructure at its own expense. The Far Eastern concession was launched to reduce the infrastructure burden, providing investors with compensation for any infrastructure costs incurred over 10–20 years after commissioning new projects in accordance with the terms of the concession agreement. Why is this mechanism needed in the Far East today? Can the Far Eastern concession solve the problem of building a new infrastructure for the region, and are investors and banks willing to use this mechanism to build infrastructure? What does an investment accelerator mean in the context of the Far Eastern concession?

Moderator:
Alexander Dolgov — Managing Partner, Head of Infrastructure & PPP Practice in Russia and CIS, Central Asia and Caucasus, Squire Patton Boggs

Panellists:
Anatoliy Bobrakov — Deputy Minister of the Russian Federation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic
Vitaly Korolev — Deputy Head, Federal Antimonopoly Service of the Russian Federation
Yuriy Korsun — Deputy Chairman, Member of the Management Board, VEB.RF
Oleg Pankratov — Chief Executive Officer, VTB Infrastructure Holding
Dmitry Pronchatov — Chairman of the Board of Directors, National Transport Concessions (VIS Group)
Mikhail Chachin — Vice President, Sberbank

Front row participants:
Roman Berdnikov — First Deputy General Director, Member of the Management Board, RusHydro
Ivan Grigorovich — General Director, RZD Invest
Oleg Novachuk — Chairman of the Board of Directors, Mining company Baimskaya

As the sector continues to grow, questions are inevitably being posed regarding the monopolization of digital markets by global tech giants, and whether these companies are fully adhering to local laws. What can be done to help international tech giants abide by local legislation? How will Russia’s “grounding law” affect the IT market? What can a country do to protect its citizens? Should Russian or Californian laws be applied to counter cyber threats? What can be done to rapidly identify and rectify misleading information? How are cyber threats affecting levels of trust among the public, and who is responsible for this? What changes will occur with the signing of a memorandum on countering misleading information by members of the IT industry?

Moderator:
Dmitry Gornostayev — Deputy Editor-in-Chief, Rossiya Segodnya

Panellists:
Vadim Glushchenko — Director, Center for Global IT-Cooperation
Anton Gorelkin — Member of the State Duma of the Committee of the Council of the Federation of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation on Information Policy, Information Technology and Communications (online)
Petr Ivanov — Deputy Head, Federal Antimonopoly Service
Kirill Istomin — First Deputy General Director, Dialogue Regions
Wai Min Kwok — Senior Governance and Public Administration Officer of Economic and Social Affairs Department, United Nations (online)
Maxim Parshin — Deputy Minister of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation

Front row participants:
Peter Gorodov — Deputy Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation
Elena Udalova — Head of Sociology Department, ANO Dialogue

Russia’s national jurisdiction grants a number of benefits to entrepreneurs that wish to work in the Russian Federation. This includes, first and foremost, territories with preferential economic policies that can be found all across the country. They represent an effective development tool aimed at international competition and economic integration. During the pandemic, the country’s leadership took unprecedented measures for the protection of entrepreneurs, including tax breaks, deadline extensions for permit renewals, and a moratorium on inspections of economic entities. Prosecutors, in turn, carefully monitor the implementation of stable environments for investment activities in places guaranteed by the government, stave off any potential sticking points in various fields of government and business relations, offer access to public services online in a supervisory capacity, financial and material help, and help to ensure that infrastructure objects are connected to engineering networks in a timely fashion. They keep a close eye on issues regarding the correction of customs values of transported goods, electronic declarations, provision of government assistance to regional airlines, protection of the rights of longshoremen at Far Eastern seaports, including those at Nakhodka and Vladivostok. What are the necessary steps for improving Russia’s business environment, in particular that of the Far East? What is the role of the prosecution in the new control-surveillance system? What benefits can businesses expect from oversight digitalization? What problems do international trade participants encounter?

Moderator:
Alexander Kalinin — President, All-Russian Non-Governmental Organization of Small and Medium-Sized Businesses OPORA RUSSIA

Panellists:
Dmitry Danilov — Head of the Department of Supervision over Execution of Federal Legislation, The Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation
Vladimir Ivin — Deputy Head, Federal Customs Service of the Russian Federation
Elina Sidorenko — General Director, Platform for Working with Entrepreneurs’ Enquiries
Boris Titov — Presidential Commissioner of the Russian Federation for the Protection of Entrepreneurs’ Rights
Alexey Khersontsev — State Secretary — Deputy Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation (online)
Marat Shamyunov — Deputy Minister of the Russian Federation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic

Front row participant:
Alexis Rodzianko — President, American Chamber of Commerce in Russia

The development of cultural projects in the macro-region is a vital component of the national programme for the socio-economic development of the Far East. Culturally developed regions are more attractive to live in, because satisfying people's socio-cultural needs, their spiritual and cultural demands, and the availability of a large variety of high-quality cultural products are largely determining factors in the quality of life. How can conditions be created for the development of culture, leisure diversity and cultural exchange with Asia-Pacific countries in the Far East? How can cultural institutions and global cultural projects lead to an improved quality of life and have an impact on the region's economy?

Moderator:
Roman Karmanov — Chief Executive Officer, Presidential Fund for Cultural Initiatives

Panellists:
Eldar Aliev — Chief choreographer of the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theater
Yulia Klimko — Director, Enso Foundation for Cultural Initiatives
Maxim Kosenko — General Director, Youth House (Komsomolsk-on-Amur)
Larisa Kotreleva — Director of the Branch of the State Tretyakov Gallery in Vladivostok
Alla Smorodinova — Vice-Rector for International Relations, Innovation and Additional Education, Far Eastern State Institute of Arts

Front row participant:
Elena Bronnikova — Minister of Culture of the Primorsky Territory

The Far East and the Arctic are unique in terms of their potential, geopolitical location, climate, economy as well as the major challenges that this region poses. Strong-minded people who are ready to perform feats live and work here. A managerial feat is performed every day in the civil service in the Far East and the Arctic with difficult decisions being made and people combatting the elements and developing the territory. But meeting the challenges the region faces requires more people who are able to take responsibility, have a strong spirit, and are ready to achieve their goals. However, sometimes courage and perseverance are not enough. Such people need to have special skillsets, a broad outlook, and experience working at different levels of government. There are not enough of such people. How can they be recruited? How can they be nurtured and educated? What successful practices is Russia already armed with, and what promising tools should be introduced in the region in the very near future?

Moderator:
Andrey Sharonov — President, Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO

Panellists:
Alexey Koshel — Acting Rector, Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU)
Aysen Nikolaev — Head of Sakha Republic (Yakutia)
Igor Nosov — General Director, Far East and Arctic Development Corporation
Victor Sidnev — President, Union for Russian Science Cities Development
Oleg Skufinskiy — Head, The Federal Service for State Registration, Cadastre and Cartography (Rosreestr)
Vladimir Solodov — Governor of Kamchatka Territory
Alexey Chekunkov — Minister of the Russian Federation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic

Front row participants:
Evgeny Grigoriev — Head of Yakutsk Urban Distrikt
Sergey Dmitrienko — First Deputy Head of the City of Vladivostok
Nikolay Stetsko — Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Primorsky Krai

For entrepreneurs and those who want to scale up their businesses, thinking about new sales markets are a constant priority. New opportunities are opening up both in Russia and abroad, and the export of goods and services is a key area for the Russian economy. Entrepreneurs should first consider and anaylze which region of the world they are willing and able to supply their goods and services to. The International Cooperation and Exports national project is one of a number of key projects aiming to develop the export potential of Russian producers, and the development of new export-oriented projects is an area attracting significant attention. This session will look at a number of international markets and present successful export case studies. The key question that participants at the session can expect to receive answers to is whether exporting has reached its full potential.

Moderator:
Pavel Dolgov — Vice President, Association of Exporters and Importers

Panellists:
Denis Buzykin — Director of E-Commerce, Far East Macroregion, Russian Post
Natalya Minayeva — Regional Project Director, Russian Export Centre
Nguyen Minh — Director, Representative Office, Moscow Association of Entrepreneurs in Vietnam (online)
Lubarto Sartoyo — Investment Advisor to the Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to the Russian Federation
Valentina Filonenko — Deputy Minister of Economic Development of the Khabarovsk Territory

Front row participants:
Tatiana Poltavets — Head of the MBA Export to Asia Program, Academy of Management, Far Eastern Federal University
Maxim Chereshnev — Chairman, Russian Trade and Economy Development Council (online)

"The Far Eastern Hectare" is a unique opportunity for proactive people to realize their dreams in their native land, in the Far East. In 2021, the programme was expanded to include the Arctic. The system of granting free land plots to citizens within a month and, with minimal administrative costs, helps remove administrative barriers and actively involve people in the development of territories. What are the interim results of the programme? What has been achieved? How should the programme be further developed? What government programmes will support the project? What prospects for the development of engineering and transport infrastructure does the project offer?

Moderator:
Mikhail Grudinin — Head, Centre for Development of the Republic of Altai

Panellists:
Natalia Bugaets — Participant of the "Far Eastern Hectare" Program
Kirill Bychkov — First Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)
Vitaly Lunev — Minister of Property and Land Relations of Primorsky Krai
Vadim Mamontov — General Director, RussiaDiscovery
Elena Martynova — Deputy Head,The Federal Service for State Registration, Cadastre and Cartography (Rosreestr)
Nikita Stasishin — Deputy Minister of Construction, Housing and Utilities of the Russian Federation
Nikolay Kharitonov — Chairman of the Committee for Regional Policy and Issues of the North and Far East, State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation
Marat Shamyunov — Deputy Minister of the Russian Federation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic

Front row participant:
Elena Andreeva — Participant of the "Far Eastern Hectare" Program

The development of high technologies is one of the key factors for Russia’s economic growth. The scientific and technological potential of the Far East can be converted to not only accelerate regional development, but also to ensure the sustainable economic growth of the Russian Federation as a whole. The Far East’s biggest advantage is its geopolitical position with access to the rapidly developing Asian markets and the presence of unique natural resources, including rice sea resources, which could become the basis for new large-scale science-intensive industries. The main task facing the Far East today is to form a full-fledged ecosystem to develop high-tech business in order to implement the priorities of the Strategy for the Scientific and Technological Development of the Russian Federation, enhance the investment appeal of research and development, commercialize its results, and provide citizens and legal entities with greater access to promising, commercially attractive scientific and engineering projects. What conditions and tools should be used to boost the competitive potential of the Far East in high technologies? What are the main mechanisms for developing high-tech markets in Russia and integrating them into international markets? What technologies and high-tech products do Far East businesses rely on when entering the markets of the Asia-Pacific region?

Moderator:
Elena Kharisova — Vice President for Perspective Projects and New Infrastructure, Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU); General Director, Development Fund of the Innovative Research and Technology Center Russky

Panellists:
Aleksandr Generalov — President, Arnika-Holding
Denis Remenyako — General Director, FC Grand Capital
Ruslan Sarkisov — Chief Executive Officer, Far East High Technologies Fund
Alexey Chekunkov — Minister of the Russian Federation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic
Maksim Chugunov — General Director, Promobot

Front row participants:
Artur Biktimirov — Neurosurgeon of the Medical Center of the Far Eastern Federal University
Georgy Budnik — Co-Director , AXIOM; Director, Community & Education
Chen Herbert — Vice Chairman, International Association of Science Parks and Areas of Innovation (online)
Serge Conesa — Chief Executive Officer, Founder, Immersion4
Ilya Pinchevsky — Advisor to the First Vice President, Antey
Igor Semenov — Executive Director, First Ore Mining Company; Chairman of the Board of Directors, ARMZ LLC