ST. PETERSBURG (Sputnik) — SPIEF, a major global platform for communication between business representatives and discussion of crucial economic issues, kicked off in Russia’s St. Petersburg on Thursday and will continue through Saturday.
"They talked for the most part not about the problems, but about the ideas that the [foreign] business has on the improvement of the projects that they are implementing," Manturov told reporters following the meeting.
Russian Minister of Economic Development Maxim Oreshkin also commented on the talks.
"A meeting and a detailed discussion of those projects that foreign companies are implementing in Russia took place. It was noted that business was developing in Russia despite all sanctions and political issues," Oreshkin told journalists following the meeting.
"The sides discussed many specific questions… New projects were discussed. [It was] a constructive business conversation aimed at developing the Russian economy," the minister added.
Meanwhile, Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said that foreign businesspeople gave a generally positive assessment of Russia’s investment climate at the meeting with Putin.
"Businesspeople from different countries took part in the meeting, they spoke about their businesses, of the way they work in Russia. The investment climate was given a generally positive assessment. The meeting was of a constructive nature," Siluanov said.
Sputnik News Agency is the official media partner of the forum.