Int'l economic relations to dominate first day of Petersburg Economic Forum

According to Itar-Tass, the International Energy Agency will present its medium-term review of the main trends in the oil and gas sector. The document analyses changes in demand for hydrocarbons and demand in key consumption sectors, gives a comprehensive assessment of investments in oil production and processing, studies oil flows and oil supplies, as well as spare capacities in OPEC countries.

The gas market analysis contains assessments of regional demand and supply, investments in infrastructure, changes in price factors and prospects for the market of unconventional gas and globalisation of trade in the CIS.

There business dialogue will be held in parallel, focusing on Russia's economic relations with the United States, the European Union, and India.

When discussing the main problems of strategic partnership between Russia and the U.S., the panellists will focus on Russia's accession to the World Trade Organisation and identify priorities for key areas of cooperation: high technologies, infrastructure, transport, machine-building, energy, and aviation.

The president of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, Alexander Shokhin, will moderate the discussion.

Post-crisis changes in the global economy and current integration processes will be in the focus of the Russia-EU dialogue. Its participants will also discuss the creation of a common economic space between Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, the dynamics of EU development and possibilities for building a common economic community from Lisbon to Vladivostok.

Experts in the Russian-Indian dialogue will concentrate their attention on how to harmonise long-term development strategies: Russia's Strategy 2020 and India Vision 2020.

Analysts say that the two countries experience high demand for high-tech products and innovations. The panellists will talk about how to overcome the information barrier between countries, promote joint innovation projects, and commercialise results of research.

The discussion on the CIS will include the strengthening of cooperation through a multilateral free trade zone, and further development of the Customs Union and the Common Economic Space.

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