5th International Forum "Moscow-Invest-2002" to be Held in Milan

5th International forum "Moscow-invest-2002" will be held in Milan from 17 to 20 October by the Moscow International business association.

According to forum organizers, it is expected to be attended by German Gref, Russian minister of economic development and trade, Aleksei Kudrin, Russian finance minister, Ilya Klebanov, minister of science and industrial policy, Mikhail Vanin, head of the State Customs committee, Ilya Yuzhanov, head of the State anti-trust policy committee, management of the Central Bank of Russia, heads of structural departments of the Moscow government. Georgy Poltavchenko, representative of the President in the Central Federal District was also invited to take part in the work of the forum. Representative delegations of all regions of the Central District are expected to participate in the forum.

Official opening of the forum will take place on 18 October. Mayors of Moscow and Milan, Yuri Luzhkov and Gabriele Albertini, will welcome its participants.

Then within the framework of the forum's work a number of subject meetings and "round tables" will be held. The forum is scheduled to consider such themes as the Russian-Italian cooperation in the interests of the common Europe, economic and legal conditions of doing business in Russia, financial mechanisms to support bilateral economic contacts, potential possibilities of cooperation between Russian regions and foreign partners, practice and problems of Italian business in Moscow and Russia.

Russian participants in the forum are also scheduled to visit Italian enterprises, a cultural program and an excursion to Turin are planned.

Presently Italy is one of the leading economic partners of Moscow and Russia to occupy 7th place by the volume of investments into the Russian economy. The trade turnover between Russia and Italy in 2001 grew by 30%. In Russia Italian entrepreneurs have been actively operating in such areas as consumer goods manufacturing, construction, trade, catering, supply of equipment, machines, construction materials and sanitary engineering items.