Russian President affirms the role of the Far East, mentions Belarus; more than 30 countries are ready to "shake hands" with BRICS

On September 5, speaking at the plenary session of the 9th Eastern Economic Forum (EEF 2024) in Vladivostok, Russian President Vladimir Putin affirmed: "The Far East has become the most important factor in strengthening Moscow's position in the world."

The Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) is taking place in Vladivostok, Russia. (Source: Sputnik)

The Russian leader stressed that the most important business relationships and trade routes are increasingly being reoriented towards the Eastern and Southern Hemispheres.

“Our Far Eastern regions provide direct access to these growing and promising markets, allowing us to overcome the barriers that some Western elites are trying to impose on the world,” Mr Putin said.

“Most importantly, the Far East is a huge space for business initiatives to launch complex projects and create entire new industries. In fact, today the Far East has become the most important factor in strengthening Russia's position in the world, our flagship,” he stressed.

In addition, the head of Russia noted that the modernization of the Baikal-Amur (BAM) main line is a project of even larger scale than the construction of this project in the Soviet Union.

Referring to the upcoming BAM modernization, President Putin informed: "We are implementing a project of a larger scale than the largest infrastructure investment project of the Soviet Union, carried out by all the republics of the Soviet Union, with great efforts."

Belarus may participate in the construction of a new deep-water port in the Russian Far East, he added.

Also in his speech, President Putin announced that more than 1,000 agreements worth a total of more than 109.6 billion USD were signed at the three most recent EEFs and affirmed: "The EEF has become a recognized platform for establishing strong business contacts and discussing strategic issues in the development of the Russian Far East and the entire Asia-Pacific region."

Currently, representatives from more than 75 countries and territories are participating in this year's forum events with a total of more than 100 sessions and roundtables.

"In addition, more than 30 countries have expressed their willingness to cooperate with the BRICS group of leading emerging economies, some of which want to join this organization.

The new BRICS members are self-reliant countries with fast-growing economies and distinctive cultures," according to Mr. Putin.

EEF 2024 takes place from September 3-6. This event has been held annually since 2015, except in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

This year, the Organizing Committee took the main theme as "Far East 2030 - Connecting strengths to create new potential".

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/tong-thong-nga-khang-dinh-vai-tro-vung-vien-dong-nhac-den-belarus-co-hon-30-quoc-gia-san-sang-bat-tay-voi-brics-285149.html