"There were 21,300 participants from 139 countries of the world taking part in the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF)," Kobyakov told the closing press conference of the forum, adding that these numbers exceeded the pre-pandemic level.
This proves that international economic activity recovers "no matter what," he said.
"There were 982 agreements signed at the forum for a total of 6.430 trillion rubles [$71.9 billion]. This includes only what is not considered a commercial secret," the official told the conference.
Foreign delegations from 95 countries, including 63 diplomatic mission leaders and 48 foreign ministers, participated in the event, a presentation shown at the press conference read.
The Russian city of St. Petersburg is hosting the 27th edition of SPIEF from June 5-8. Last year, the forum drew 17,000 participants from 130 countries and saw the signing of more than 900 agreements.