Putin presides over the St. Petersburg economic forum more isolated than ever | The Basque Journal

What was once the main exhibition platform for Russia’s great economic achievements, the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), began this Wednesday in the former Russian imperial capital with the presence of President Vladimir Putin, who faces the event more isolated than ever.

According to the organizers, it is expected that this event, seriously devalued by the Kremlin’s decision to invade Ukraine and the sanctions that such a measure has generated, will nevertheless be attended by more than 17,000 people, including representatives of Russian companies and institutions and delegates from states such as Bolivia, China, Egypt, former Soviet republics and Arab, Asian and African countries.

Among the guests of honor are the presidents of Bolivia, Luis Arce, and of Zimbabwe, Emmerson Mnangagwa, in addition to a large representation of the Afghan Taliban, a group still banned in Russia and considered terrorist, although the Russian authorities, according to the minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergei Lavrov, are already preparing to soon eliminate that label and establish normal relations with Kabul.

Putin’s talks with Arce and Mnangagwa will take place this Thursday, and on Friday, the Russian president will speak at the forum’s plenary session, presumably to launch his usual tirades against Ukraine and the West. No leaders of Western countries will be there to listen to him, but neither will Putin’s “friends” such as his counterparts from China and Turkey, Xi Jinping and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, nor will Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. SPIEF will close its doors in St. Petersburg on Saturday.