The forum brought together fifty countries, as against last year's 44. The total number of conferees exceeded three thousand. 24 roundtables and two conferences were held within the forum framework, and it pioneered a CIS entrepreneurial congress.
St. Petersburg forums have a custom of a few preceding years to introduce a CIS country and a Russian federal district. Armenia and district South came up as birthday boys now. The forum also made a maiden public introduction of an East European country. That was Czechia. Some other European country will be introduced at the nearest forum.
Mikhail Fradkov, Russia's Prime Minister, attended the forum to make a flattering and important presence. He spent two days in the city on a routine trip, and whatever he was doing, with token exceptions, had a bearing on the forum.
Apart from the forum, Mr. Mironov spoke up on Russian commerce. He called his country to reasonably limit petroleum and gas exports, which make up the bulk of its foreign trade.
"Though Russia is rich in natural resources, we oughtn't to squander that wealth. This is my personal opinion-and many shared it at a roundtable on minerals and other raw materials," he remarked.
High technologies and intellectual products ought to dominate Russian trade with the European Union, said the Senator as he pronounced against brain drain, which is fairly active now.
