Presidential Envoy comments on Siberia's outlooks

A program on joint actions of heads of the Siberian region andrepresentatives of Siberian businesses will be developed in October 2002. Leonid Drachevsky, Presidential Envoy in the Siberian Federal District,voiced this statement at the second Baikal economic forum in Irkutsk. Hepointed to the necessity of attracting investments to support the economyof Siberia. The official noted that recently the government had approved the strategyof the economic development of Siberia, which would enable the region toachieve sustainable economic growth. According to expert forecasts, thisgrowth will be higher than the annual average advance in industry in theEuropean part of Russia.Siberia's economy should gradually transfer from a raw material base to themodern balanced structure, Drachevsky pointed out. According to him, theeconomic potential should rise by 3.3-3.4 times. Moreover, exports ofmineral resources should also be increased. The Envoy stressed that Siberiaplayed a leading role in providing Russia's economic growth due to its vastraw material resources..