Moscow: AfricUpdate – News Desk
The forum, organised by the International Organisation for Eurasian Cooperation (IOEC), will bring together over 1,000 delegates and 120 speakers in the Russian capital. The central theme of the event will be President Vladimir Putin’s “Greater Eurasian Partnership” initiative and the tools for its development. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Aleksander Pankin noted the relevance of the Greater Eurasian Partnership (GEP) and stressed that the world is moving towards a multipolar system of international relations.
Aleksander Pankin, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister: “At the same time, equal cooperation mechanisms that strengthen the economic power and ‘voice’ of the world’s majority countries are becoming increasingly in demand.”
The forum’s business programme includes thematic sessions under the auspices of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Eurasian Economic Commission, the Civil 20 (C20, an official G20 engagement group), and international partners from Africa, India, Asia, and the Gulf countries.
According to Dmitry Stasyulis, President of the International Organisation for Eurasian Cooperation (IOEC), President of the forum and Russia’s Sherpa to the C20, the role of international platforms is growing today as new global decision-making centres emerge.
“The aim of the forum is to build bridges between all participants in these processes, to take into account the interests of business, government and civil society, and to consider the pace of each party. Only through open, respectful dialogue between equal partners we will be able to accelerate integration on the Eurasian continent and respond to society’s priority demands for a safe, just world with equal opportunities for everyone,” he said.
One of the key events of the forum will be a series of business dialogues with delegations from India, China, Bahrain, Senegal, Ethiopia, and Latin American countries. Eighteen thematic sessions are planned. The main tracks of the forum are:
•The development strategy of the Greater Eurasian Partnership, vectors of integration, the role of the EAEU, BRICS, and the SCO.
•New financial instruments: cryptocurrencies, digital financial assets, central bank digital currencies, cross-border settlements, the development of international leasing and its legal aspects.
•Digitalisation of industry, introduction of artificial intelligence, cooperation in industry, support for small and medium-sized businesses, high-tech production and logistics corridors (e.g. North-South).
•Deepening cooperation with key regions (India, the Gulf countries, Southeast Asia, Africa, Latin America), increasing investment attractiveness, reducing trade imbalances.
•Legal protection of business, anti-corruption initiatives, harmonisation of legislation, arbitration mechanisms in the Eurasian space.
A number of strategic documents are planned to be signed at the forum. Dmitry Stasyulis, President of the the International Organisation for Eurasian Cooperation (IOEC), and Svetlana Chupsheva, Director General of the Agency for Strategic Initiatives (ASI), will sign a cooperation agreement.
In addition, representatives of six countries: Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan will sign a memorandum on the development of international leasing. The document will outline a programme for the creation of a Council for the Development of International Leasing based on the IOEC.
