By Vestnik Kavkaza
The annual Gaidar Forum opens in Moscow today. It is the first platform in the world where theorists cooperate with practical men. This year, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev will be the main speaker of the forum.
According to Vladimir Mau, Rector of the Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, the forum is a melting pot of practical economists and practical politicians, i.e. those who directly cooperate in the sphere of establishing models for economic policy. The forum will last for four days. The first day is devoted to global problems and macroeconomics; the second day – regional policy; the third – social policy; and the fourth day – to the youth.
One of initiators of the forum, the former minister of financials of Russia, the head of the Committee for Civil Initiatives, Alexei Kudrin, said that “the forum will be devoted to post-crisis development of the world, including Russia. We want to realize key trends in the world development and consider what happens in Russia, our internal problems, and find solutions in medium-term and long-term periods. As we say “the post-crisis world”, we mean that outlines of new policy will be different after the crisis, outlines of economic policy, social policy. Today we see that the world tries to define outlines of new world economics and management rules.”
Kudrin says that as for the Russian topic, experts will consider the problem of regions: “We have a big platform which is titled “Doing Business” and we will consider regional examples there, first of all. The chairman of the parliament Sergey Naryshkin is going to take part in the section, as well as heads of regions. And we have two major regional round tables – the Tomsk Region and Tatarstan will present problems of regional development. Governors and representatives of regions will participate in many sessions.”
More than 3 thousand participants will come to the forum. “We have to restrict a number of visitors of the first session on the first day, where Premier Dmitry Medvedev will speak. Moreover, we have more than 300 foreign participants; 8 ministers and vice-premiers, including Shuvalov, Golodets, Ulyukayev, Siluanov, and other ministers,” Kudrin stated.
He called the forum an attempt to discuss problems of the world economy and Russia around and above. “There will be serious people to discuss this, and we invite such people who can discuss any problems with adequate experts, politicians, economists, and businessmen,” Kudrin said.
