1st EURASEC Forum to Attract up to 1,000 Businessmen

Grigory Rapota, the Secretary-General of the EurAsian Economic Community, announced at a press conference that about 1,000 entrepreneurs from Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan would attend the first EURASEC economic forum in Moscow on February 19-20th.

According to him, the forum has been organised by the EURASEC Integration Committee in conjunction with the EURASEC Business Council and the Russian Trade and Industry Chamber, while the leaders of the relevant CIS states will also be acting as patrons.

The organising committee is being chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister of Russia, Viktor Khristenko.

Rapota said that about 350 Russian and 150 Kazakh businessmen would take part in the forum, while there would be 30 representatives each from Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Invitations have also been sent to Ukraine and Moldova - EURASEC's observers.

The conference will be opened by President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev. The prime ministers of EURASEC member-nations have been invited, as have deputy premiers, governors, and representatives of scientific, business and financial circles.

Rapota pointed out that the main aims of the large-scale event were to expand economic integration within the Community, to implement agreed market reforms, increase co-operation between business circles and, consequently, create conditions to attract investment in the real sector of the economy.

The secretary-general reported that representatives of the real sector of the economy would be able to present their investment projects at the forum and show potential opportunities, while they could also see the economic, legal and other conditions of the integration process.

Issues concerning the promotion of goods on EURASEC markets will be discussed, along with the formation and operation of inter-state financial-industrial groups and joint enterprises.

Moreover, participants will also focus on the problems of unifying national legislative bases in the leasing sphere and the development of leasing activity.

Other interesting subjects for debate will be the possible consequences of the World Trade Organisation membership and ways of dealing with them in the interests of both producers and consumers in one state and partner-countries.