A day after wooing German business leaders, President Dmitry Medvedev will push Russia’s trade, energy and transport agenda during a meeting with CIS leaders in Saint Petersburg. Eight thousand of the world’s business and political elite are gathering in
The CIS leaders will gather for a joint session, while Medvedev is also due to have one-on-one meetings with Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili and Ukrainian leader Viktor Yushchenko on Friday. The Economic Forum is officially open from Saturday, but talks and the signing of the first agreements will begin already on Friday. During three days delegates are expected to discuss a wide range of issues including climate change, the integration of economies, and will try to develop a model for co-ordinating the national interests of consumers and producers. Like in previous years, the first day of the forum will focus on international issues, while the second – on prospects for Russia's economic development. According to Russia’s Interior Minister Rashid Nurgaliyev, 13,000 policemen and servicemen of the Interior Troops will enforce security at the forum.