Niger president says Islamist attackers came from Libya
The conference, held in 2011 for the first time, was organized by Russia’s Vneshekonombank and MTC mobile operator, as well as the US’ BNY Mellon investment bank, international law firm Cleary Gottlieb and the Bloomberg business news network. The Russian delegation was headed by First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov who had to answer a whole array of pressing questions pertaining to the Magnitsky Act, corruption and bureaucracy. Shuvalov urged not to politicize business-related issues and warned against perceiving Russia through the prism of local media reports.
Download audio file
Apart from Shuvalov, the Russian delegation included head of the Federal Agency for State Property Olga Dergunova, Deputy Finance Minister Alexei Moiseyev, Vneshekonombank chief executive Vladimir Dmitriyev and head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund Kirill Dmitriyev.
The Russian government’s privatization plans were high on the agenda of the conference. As was announced earlier this year, the authorities plan to earn at least 10 billion dollars after selling shares of the largest companies. According to Olga Dergunova, US investors are seriously interested in the upcoming deals.
"Investors mainly want to know more on terms of privatization and the companies which will be privatized, Dergunova says. First and foremost, this is related to major Russian companies, including Sberbank, VTB, Alrosa, the Russian Railaways, Rosneft, Transneft and Sovkomflot. With investors keeping an eagle eye on the current situation on the Russian market, the Russia Day conference saw them ask a wide range of questions concerning their future investment deals."
Members of the Russian delegation specifically pointed to businessmen’s readiness to invest in the Russian economy’s branches that are not related to the fuel and energy sector.
Separately, the Russian delegation took part in the closing ceremony of the NYSE’s trading session. Igor Shuvalov ringing a symbolic bell was broadcast by leading business and news channels worldwide.
