The Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) 2024 has started in Vladivostok. The event is organised by the Roscongress Foundation. TV BRICS is a media partner of the Eastern Economic Forum.

This year, the main theme of the forum is “Far East 2030. Combining Strengths to Create New Potential”. In his greeting to the EEF participants, Vladimir Putin emphasised the role of this region in the future of Russia and the entire Asia-Pacific region.

“The role of the Asia-Pacific region in international affairs is growing rapidly. New opportunities are opening up here for productive co-operation, including within the framework of such authoritative multilateral structures as the EAEU, SCO and BRICS. I would like to reaffirm that Russia is open for dialogue with all interested partners in the Asia-Pacific”

Vladimir Putin President of Russia

It is expected that on 5 September the head of state will take part in the central event of the forum, the plenary session. In addition, Vladimir Putin is scheduled to meet with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Chinese Vice-Chairman Han Zheng and Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksander Vulin, who will also attend the plenary session.

On the same day, the Russia-India Business Dialogue will be held, where Editor-in-Chief of TV BRICS Ksenia Komissarova and Indian Ambassador to Moscow Vinay Kumar, as well as representatives of the business community of the two countries, will speak on the margins. The main topics of the meeting will be the development of trade and transport links between Russia and India. The event will start at 10:00 local time (03:00 Moscow time).

According to Anton Kobyakov, Advisor to the President of Russia, Executive Secretary of the Organising Committee for the preparation and holding of the EEF, Vladivostok will host 4,200 delegates from more than 40 countries in 2024. They include politicians, diplomats, representatives of regional authorities, entrepreneurs and CEOs, journalists and members of the scientific community from Azerbaijan, Belarus, China, Cuba, Egypt, Egypt, India, Japan, Malaysia, Myanmar, Serbia, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa and Vietnam.

“Thanks to the Forum, investors get acquainted with the potential of the regions of the Far Eastern Federal District, which, in turn, become important territories for international economic co-operation. This has a direct impact on improving the quality of life of Far Easterners”

Anton Kobyakov Advisor to the President of Russia

In an exclusive commentary to the TV BRICS, Vasily Orlov, Governor of the Amur Region, gave concrete examples of economic co-operation between the border regions of Russia and China.

“There is an active discussion on expanding the capacity of the Blagoveshchensk – Heihe bridge. A dry port is also being developed, where cargo from the wheels of cars will be reloaded onto the Trans-Siberian railway. A cross-border cable car is being built by private investors. The readiness of the project is 70 per cent”

Vasily Orlov Governor of the Amur Region

The EEF business programme consists of thematic blocks related to the priority areas of the Far East’s development: “People, Education and Patriotism”, “New Contours of International Cooperation”, “The Russian Far East”, “Technologies to Ensure Independence”, “Master Plans: from Architecture to Economy”, “Transport and Logistics: New Routes”, and “Financial Value System”.

On the first day of the EEF, participants discussed the development of education and human capital, the prospects for trade and economic ties between Russia and China, the potential of external cultural ties between Russian regions, current demographic trends, the development of telemedicine and higher education, and attracting investment to the Arctic and the Far East.

In addition, a separate platform was dedicated to the role of the BRICS in the enlarged world arena. In an exclusive commentary to TV BRICS, Egyptian participant Mohamed Salah, Chairman of the Eurasia and BRICS Forum as well as member of the advisory board of the World Forum of Tourism Experts, said it was important to integrate the new BRICS members into the system of relations within the association.

“The active role that the new members will play within BRICS, as well as the benefits they derive from joining, will increase the motivation of other states to become part of the association,” the expert said.

A separate element of the first day’s programme was the BRICS Creative Innovation Forum, where participants discussed the impact of advanced technologies on the development of creative industries, linguistics and the preservation of cultural heritage.

In addition, an International Russian-Vietnamese Academic and Training Conference was held to mark the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Moscow and Hanoi.

Tran Tuan Anh, Vice President of the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, told TV BRICS about the role of co-operation between the two countries in the field of education science.

“The Russian side makes a significant contribution to training Vietnamese researchers. In addition, students from Vietnam receive training at universities and research centres in Russia. This co-operation contributes to joint development and technology transfer between our countries,” the scientist said.

On 4 September, the forum will discuss the role of BRICS+ countries in global trade, the development of production chains of the EAEU, SCO and BRICS, and cooperation between the countries of the association in the field of pharmaceuticals. 

On 5 September, the forum will focus on the development of public-private partnerships and infrastructure projects in the BRICS+ area. On the final day of the forum, delegates will discuss the prospects for cooperation between the BRICS countries in Arctic exploration, economic cooperation between Russia, India and China in Eurasia, and intellectual property protection in the jurisdictions of the BRICS countries.

EEF-2024 takes place from 3 to 6 September on the campus of the Far Eastern Federal University. The forum has been held regularly since 2015. 

Photo: TV BRICS