26 September 2019. PenzaNews. More than 8.5 thousand delegates, exhibitors and media representatives from Russia and 65 countries and territories visited the 5th Eastern Economic Forum (EEF), which was held in Vladivostok on September 4–6 under the motto The Far East – Development Horizons.

Photo: Kremlin.ru

“The 5th anniversary Eastern Economic Forum was record-peaking in terms of participation numbers and the total worth of contracts signed during the event. These accomplishments prove that the forum became a significant platform to promote international cooperation and discuss relevant global and regional economic issues. The forum brought together leading representatives of large businesses. It helps foster partnership across the Asia-Pacific region. EEF is a high-quality event. Within the business program, the participants are offered new communication formats that contribute to its overall efficiency,” said Anton Kobyakov, Advisor to the President of the Russian Federation, Executive Secretary of the EEF Organizing Committee.

The forum was attended by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, Mongolian President Khaltmaagiin Battulga, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and other high-ranking officials from a number of states.

According to official figures, the largest delegations came from Japan (588 people), China (395 people), the Republic of Korea (285 people) and India (204 people). In addition, large delegations came from Mongolia (69 people), US (65 people), Singapore (58 people), Vietnam (55 people), Great Britain (49 people), Malaysia (48 people).

Over 440 companies were represented at the forum at their highest level. Key participants included Tadashi Maeda, Governor of Japan Bank for International Cooperation; J. Paul Rollinson, President and CEO of Kinross Gold Corporation; Masayuki Sato, Representative Director Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), JGC Corporation, and others.

According to Yuri Trutnev, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy to the Far Eastern Federal District, EEF participants signed 270 agreements worth more than 3.4 trillion rubles, which is 13% more than in 2018.

The Forum hosted over 100 events dedicated to the most relevant topics of the international and regional agenda, including panel discussions, round tables and business breakfasts.

Speaking at the plenary session of the 5th Eastern Economic Forum, President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin stressed that the Russian Far East “has become a symbol of openness for the whole country, a symbol of innovation and resolve in lifting all sorts of barriers to business and human contacts.”

“We have very ambitious development goals in the Far East, and the attainment of these goals involves partnership and the pooling of efforts. We are ready for such cooperation, and we are open to everyone who is interested in it. We believe in the future of our cooperation and the future of the Russian Far East. To succeed in this region, just as across our huge country as a whole, we need a consolidated society, the contribution and the involvement of everyone who is willing to contribute their skills, their energy and their knowledge to the common goal. This is our mindset, and this means that all our plans and the most daring of our dreams will definitely become reality,” Russian leader said.

Commenting on the results of a major international event, the Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU) President Nikita Anisimov noted that the university was awarded the status of a special partner of the Eastern Economic Forum for the second year in a row.

“We are proud to provide the opportunity for the Russian president to receive his guests at the FEFU site. This is a huge responsibility – during the EEF period, guests from all over the world and the largest investors of the Far East come to us. Over the five years that the forum has been held, we have learned the international protocol, and also, importantly, became integrated into the substantive EEF program. In the first few years the Far Eastern Federal University acted more as a platform for a large-scale event of the EEF, but in recent years FEFU is a full-fledged participant of the forum and almost all its activities, which also initiates many of its events,” Nikita Anisimov told PenzaNews.

In his opinion, the forum held in Vladivostok can rightfully be considered successful.

“A team of people has formed around the EEF, and they think nationwide in terms of the Far East development. These are the leaders of the federal level, the governors of the Far Eastern Federal District and their teams, people who submitted proposals to the national development program of the Far East, where we also make our modest contribution,” the head of the university explained.

Meanwhile, Hoang Quoc Vuong, Vice Minister, Ministry of Industry and Trade of Vietnam stressed that the leadership of the country has attached high importance to the Eastern Economic Forum and therefore always sends its high-ranking officials to participate in this event.

“The delegation included about 50 representatives from Vietnamese ministries, agencies and businesses. On behalf of the Vietnamese delegation this time, I would like to express our sincere thanks to the Russian government and the Roscogress foundation for the great organizational work and hospitality,” Hoang Quoc Vuong said.

He also reminded that the Vietnamese delegation was led by the Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung.

“At the forum the speakers talked openly and frankly about current developments in the region, expectations and prospects of cooperation between Russia and the Pacific region. Being the platform of opinion exchange, the discussions reflected current processes occurred in the world’s economic and political life, and also the increasing role of the Russian Federation in the Asia – Pacific region. In the sidelines of the forum, the high-ranking leaders of Vietnam and Russia made a number of meetings and had fruitful discussions on removing obstacles in order to promote bilateral cooperation between the two countries. Also at the EEF, the Ministry of Construction of Vietnam signed a MOU with the Ministry of Construction of the Russian Federation. At the same time, Vietnamese businesses such as VietJet, TH True Milk, Vietnam National Coal and Mineral Group also met directly with Russian partners to discuss plans for cooperation in the coming time,” Vice Minister, Ministry of Industry and Trade of Vietnam, said.

In his opinion, since 2015, the EEF has significant developments in terms of scale and number of participants.

“It shows that this forum is an important political-economic event not only for the Russian Federation but also for the region with a view to further promoting growth and linkages among countries in the region,” Hoang Quoc Vuong said.

In turn, Lee Kee-Heung, President, Korean Sport and Olympic Committee, shared the opinion on the interstate significance of the forum.

“I was one of the panelists of the discussion on Olympism and the Asia Pacific: Global Mutual Influence. I would like to say it was greatly helpful for all participants to expand their comprehension about how Olympism contributes to East Asian societies such as Korea, China and Japan. The forum was well organized and prepared with panelists from various countries participating in a number of meaningful topics,” he said.

According to the President of Korean Sport and Olympic Committee, one of the most interesting events of the EEF was the plenary session of the forum.

“My participation in the plenary session met my expectations. I could hear various opinions about the economy, industry, society, education and sports from the leaders of five nations including the Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin,” Lee Kee-Heung added.

Meanwhile, Dorit Nitzan, Acting Regional Emergency Director for the European Region, Health Emergencies Programme, World Health Organization, noted the highest level of organization of the event in Vladivostok.

“The Eastern Economic Forum was one milestone event in my career. The level of the planning, content, organization, logistics was among the highest I can recall,” she said, adding that she took part in discussions embedding health and well-being into health emergencies’ preparedness and response.

“I was particularly impressed as the EEF bridged political and technical sessions, making the link between evidence and policymaking which is crucial to attain political commitment to health-related work,” WHO representative said.

In her opinion, the participation of high-level political figures in the EEF was a sign of their attention to important global and regional themes.

“I was really glad to see health emergencies high in the agenda. This is an area where WHO can make a difference through its normative, research and operational role. This is also an area where collaboration with partners is critical, and the EEF provided the platform for discussions with other sectors to strengthen our concerted impact on the health of the people living in the Far East, and beyond,” Dorit Nitzan explained.

“I will bring home many of the conclusions, of the contacts, of the debates, of the inspirations I received during the forum. They are already further shaping the way we work. I am extremely grateful for this opportunity, greatly exceeding my expectations and trusting WHO will be a key actor in the future of the forum,” she said.

Meanwhile, Apurva Sanghi, Acting Country Director for the Russian Federation, The World Bank Group, paid special attention to the topics of sessions and their significance.

“I was impressed with the depth and substance of the discussions that took place at the forum. In particular, the session on The Asian Mirror: The Pivot East through the Eyes of Asian Partners that touched upon the importance of attracting foreign investors to the Far East, a critically important aspect for growth in the region. Another important topic was women’s participation in the workforce of tomorrow, highlighting the key role female workforce will continue playing in sharping the growth prospects of the region going forward,” he said.

“I appreciated the opportunity to present the analytical and technical work that the World Bank does in Russia, bringing our contribution to the discourse on steps to be taken for accelerating the development of the Far East and Russia’s cooperation with India and China. I am convinced that this platform has allowed for bringing forth a multitude of new ideas that will be pivotal for the development of this region,” Apurva Sanghi concluded.