President Putin in China: Asian door to the world, The St. Petersburg Economic Forum: business first, Ukraine: Blood, sweat and chocolate. These hot issues hosts Sergei Strokan and Julia Lyubova are discussing at the Voice of Russia's weekly program Red Line.
BEYOND THE HEADLINES
President Putin in China: Asian door to the world
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has paid a landmark visit to China to reinforce all-weather partnership with its biggest Asian neighbor and leading business partner. An impressive package of deals on energy, business and infrastructure, including much-awaited gas contract worth 400 billion USD has been singed. Shanghai summit showed that placed under Western sanctions Russia is rapidly diversifying its business ties switching to Asia-Pacific giants.
Yuri Tavrovsky, an independent expert, Timothy Misir, public policy researcher, and Alexander Lomanov, chief research fellow at the Institute of Far Eastern Studies, share their views on the gas deal in an interview with Radio VR.
BETWEEN THE LINES
The St. Petersburg Economic Forum: business first
International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg - an annual gathering of the captains of world businesses held this week in Russia's former capital is the first such meeting in its history clouded by Russia’s standoff with the West, which was triggered by Ukrainian crisis . While some of the Western businessmen abstained from coming to St. Petersburg, the participants of the forum said they would not deprive themselves of the right to continue exploring lucrative Russian market.
Georgy Petrov, vice-president of Russia's Chamber of Commerce and Industry, shares his views on the business climate in Russia and explains the mission of the Chamber of Commerce.
Yuri Tavrovsky, an independent expert and a prominent author, comments on those companies that decided not to participate in the St. Petersburg Economic Forum and emphasizes that everyone, both from the East and from the West, is welcome to do business in Russia.
MAN IN THE NEWS
Ukraine: Blood, sweat and chocolate
Billionaire Petr Poroshenko comes as a distant front-runner in a controversial presidential polls in Ukraine this Sunday amid military crackdown against self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s republic. Mr. Poroshenko who has built his wealth in chocolate business before switching to big politics says that if elected he would patch up relations with Russia. However, for that he will have to suspend military offensive in eastern regions seen in Moscow as the war against its own people.
In an interview with Radio VR Andrei Fyodorov, former deputy Foreign Minister of Russia, the director of the Center for Political Research Foundation, explains why Petr Poroshenko is popular and details the problems he will have to deal with once elected.
Boris Makarenko, chairman of board of Russia's Center for Political Technologies, and Yuri Tavrovsky, an independent expert and a prominent author, provided their assessment of what kind of a president Poroshenko will be if he gets elected.
