Programme

ECONOMIC INTERDEPENDENCE VS POLITICAL ISOLATION

Russia: Seizing the Opportunities
Valdai Club Session
Pavilion 8, Conference Hall 8.2 Innovation Hall

With the world’s financial markets becoming less manageable, on the one hand, and heightened political tensions in the international arena, on the other, uncontrollable and irreversible changes are taking place in the global governance system. Is interdependence preventing an escalation of conflicts or, on the contrary, serving as a catalyst for such conflicts? Can the economy stop political interference in market processes? Will new concepts of economic and political development appear in the 21st century? How will the shifted focus from the West to the East impact global development? How much will regional unions and organizations contribute to the rearrangement of the global model?

Moderator:
Yermolai Solzhenitsyn , Senior Partner, McKinsey & Company

Panellists
Václav Klaus , President of the Czech Republic (2003–2013)
François Fillon , Prime Minister of France (2007–2012)
Franco Frattini , Minister of Foreign Affairs of Italy (2008–2011)
Igor Shuvalov , First Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation

Front row participants
Andrei Klepach , Deputy Chairman (Chief Economist), Member of the Board, Bank for Development and Foreign Economic Affairs (Vnesheconombank)
Yaroslav Kuzminov , Rector, National Research University Higher School of Economics
Grigory Marchenko , Governor of the National Bank of the Republic of Kazakhstan (2009–2013)
Anatoly Torkunov , Rector, MGIMO University

Broadcast

Key moments

Resuming negotiations, creating a bridge, not a wall, involving Russia in geopolitical issues – this is the solution for the years to come.
Franco Frattini
You can’t fool capital … Europeans want to work with Russians, while Russians can invest in Europe. So, these artificial restrictions in the form of sanctions simply cannot last long.
Igor Shuvalov
We have to consider that interdependence in the world is a matter of fact. We will never be able to solve key geopolitical and strategic issues unless we have Russia and China on board.
Franco Frattini
It would be a tragic mistake to push Russia out of Europe just now. Russia deserves to have a chance to define its new history, to find its own way and to be an active player on the international scene.
Václav Klaus