SPIEF 2024: Kremlin explains Moscow’s message to the world

Russia is advocating for global cooperation based on equality and the rule of law, presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov says

Russia is developing faster than most countries, and hopes to use the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) to promote global cooperation in all spheres, based on mutual respect and equality, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists on Wednesday.

This year’s SPIEF opened on June 5 and will run through June 8. The 27th annual event is expected to attract thousands of participants from 136 countries, with delegations arriving from Brazil, India, China, Venezuela, Azerbaijan, Zimbabwe, Bolivia, and others.

Asked to sum up the main message Moscow hopes to communicate through the forum, Peskov stated that Russia is “developing at a rate above the world average” and represents “significant changes in global political and economic conditions.” 

Russia is also promoting business cooperation based on “equality and the rule of law on a mutually beneficial basis, and is offering this to all interested countries and entrepreneurs,” Peskov said.

Previously, he noted that SPIEF has attracted substantial interest from both domestic and foreign businesses, as well as regional leaders, ministers, and the heads of various government bodies. 

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The Kremlin spokesman suggested that before the event concludes on Saturday, an analysis should be carried out to determine how many of this year’s record number of participants came from abroad.

The executive secretary of the SPIEF Organizing Committee, Anton Kobyakov noted on Tuesday that despite the “turbulence in the global economy,” many countries are still prepared to build “bridges of understanding and cooperation” and disregard Western pressure on Russia, instead choosing to engage more closely with the country.

The main theme of this year’s SPIEF is ‘The Foundations of a Multipolar World – The Formation of New Areas of Growth.’ The three-day event will feature almost 400 business events, including panel discussions and international business dialogue meetings.