Putin to speak at plenary session of St Petersburg Economic Forum

On Wednesday, the first day of the Forum, he met with B20 and Y20 members. On Friday, he is scheduled to speak at the Forum’s plenary session that will focus on sustainable global economic growth.

"The president will touch upon key problems of the world economy, the Russian presidency in the Group of Twenty, and the efforts being taken by the leadership of our country to spur the national economy, and improve the business and investment climate,” presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said.

At the meeting with G20 Youth Summit participants, Putin promised to announce a new ambitious infrastructure project at the St. Petersburg Forum’s plenary session.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who is attending the Forum as a guest of honour at the Russian president’s invitation, will also speak at the session.

Putin will also address energy companies’ CEOs to focus on changes in international oil markets. The business leaders will discuss factors that may affect oil markets in the decades to come, as well as market structure and pricing issues.

Attending the business summit will be CEOs of major international corporations such as ВР, General Electric, Total, Shell, ExxonMobil, and Chevron. "The president will speak about the strategy for developing the domestic energy sector and attracting foreign investments into it,” Ushakov said.

Several contracts, including with Rosneft, are to be signed.

St. Petersburg International Economic Forum is the main economic forum in Russia and CIS countries. It has been held since 1997.