15 Jun 2022 09:18

Egyptian president to attend SPIEF plenary meeting by video link on June 17 - aide Ushakov

MOSCOW. June 15 (Interfax) - Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi will take part in a plenary meeting of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) on June 17, together with Russian President Vladimir Putin, by video link and will answer questions from forum participants, Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov said.

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev will attend the plenary meeting together with Putin, while Chinese President Xi Jinping will send a video address to the forum participants.

"Kazakh President Tokayev will attend [the forum] at 2 p.m. on Friday, together with Putin, he will be on the stage, while the Egyptian president will be participating by video link," Ushakov said, adding that Egypt is the principal guest of SPIEF 2022.

Putin, Tokayev and al-Sisi will speak at the plenary meeting, and a video address by the Chinese president will follow, he said.

"The most interesting part will begin after that - the three leaders will be answering questions live," Ushakov said.

Officials from countries unfriendly towards Russia are not invited to the SPIEF, yet businessmen from these countries are expected at the forum, he said.

"We are expecting businessmen, representatives of large international companies to attend the forum, to take part in it either in person or by video link. Their number may be smaller than before, but there will still be foreign representatives," Ushakov said.

Representatives of a number of international organizations, such as the Forum of Gas Exporting Countries, the Economic Community of Central African Countries, the Collective Security Treaty Organization, the Commonwealth of Independent States, the Eurasian Economic Union, and others, as well as of more than 40 countries are expected to attend the SPIEF, he said.

According to the Kremlin, 4,188 journalists from 30 countries have been registered to cover the forum.