Building Big Asia: from trust in people to trust in economies
An Assembly of the Peoples of Eurasia panel session was held on 8 June 2019, the final day of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, in the SPIEF Presentation Area supported by EY and FIAC. The theme of the session was ‘Building Big Asia: from trust in people to trust in economies’.
The event kicked off with the signing of a cooperation agreement between the Roscongress Foundation and the Assembly of the Peoples of Eurasia. The document was signed by Chairman of the Board and CEO of the Roscongress Foundation Alexander Stuglev and Secretary General of the Assembly of Peoples of Eurasia Andrei Belyaninov.
The parties agreed to help each other organize a constructive dialogue between the peoples of Eurasia, strengthen inter-ethnic peace and harmony on the Eurasian continent, conduct research, disseminate accurate and unbiased information, and implement socially significant programmes.
The session that followed was an illustration of the constructive dialogue spoken of in the agreement. In their speeches, the speakers talked about how the countries of Eurasia were actively looking for and developing new trade and legal and technological tools for deepening economic integration, because although the world may be diverse, yet it is one.
According to session participants, trust in people must serve as the foundation upon which Greater Eurasia is built. Common social, cultural, and scientific ideas are vital for smoothing out existing differences and are the foundation for mutually beneficial integration in different areas of public life. Trusting in people will, in turn, lead to confidence in national economies and stimulate the creation of new economic values. The benefits of synergy will lend Greater Eurasia a critical competitive advantage within the global economy.
“Life changes very quickly, and we have to keep up with these changes. If we want to move forward, then we need to run. Our task is to fill all of inhabited Eurasia with real social programmes and work on what we leave for others after we’ve gone. We can’t look back and re-write the rules of the game while we go, because this does nothing to stabilize and respect each other’s economies”, said Chairman of the Management Board of the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) Andrey Belyaninov.
“The initiative of President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin to integrate the Greater Eurasian Partnership into the project of President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping fits into the Greater Eurasian model and lays the foundation for the construction of the Transcontinental Development Belt”, noted Adviser to the President of the Russian Federation Sergei Glazyev.
“We are open to global integration based on equal, fair, and honest relations in a connected global economy, in spite of the US’s attempts to maintain its hegemony in the world. We must strive for an integrated system that works for the benefit of the people and not for capital”, Glazyev said in his speech.
