Penza, 14 January 2016. PenzaNews. The Gaidar Forum once again showed that the current economic situation creates new unique opportunities for Russian enterprises, including those in the Penza Region, Andrei Luzgin, acting deputy chairman of the Penza region government, regional Minister of Investment Development and Foreign Trade, told PenzaNews agency.

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“Indeed, ruble has significantly decreased in price, and the cost of goods on external markets decreased in return. The cost of labor inside Russia decreased greatly. Now is the time to get busy supporting the export, import replacement and attracting investments in the region. These are the most important, most relevant issues for now,” he said.

Andrei Luzgin also said he took part in three panel discussions of the Gaidar Forum.

“The first – in which I took part together with Vyacheslav Gladkov, mayor of Zarechny – was about the future of priority development areas (PDAs) within closed administrative-territorial units. We discussed the issues of reforms, necessary legislative initiatives, to accelerate creation of PDAs, including within Zarechny,” Andrei Luzgin explained.

The second discussion was dedicated to external activities of the regions and the capabilities created for export-oriented enterprises.

“The third panel discussion – with Denis Manturov, Russian Minister of Industry and Trade – was dedicated to the role of companies partially owned by the state, development of competition, and whether the companies hinder or stimulate development,” the minister said.

In addition, Andrei Luzgin noted that he participated in the forum for only a single day.