Business programme

Amidst the current geopolitical confrontation and attempts to destabilize global supply chains, there is growing demand for reliable, mutually beneficial, and equitable forms of collaboration. These processes are prompting Eurasian states to find new forms and methods of economic cooperation, primarily in the financial, economic, transport, and logistics sectors. In this sense, Russia’s initiative to form the Greater Eurasian Partnership (GEP) is more important than ever. The GEP is a civilizational project whose main idea is to organize a common space based on voluntary principles without outside interference or pressure. The project is designed to help create favourable conditions in the Eurasian states for progressive sustainable development, more effective industrial relations, and long-term economic growth. Can the Greater Eurasian Partnership (GEP) become a non-discriminatory alternative to Western models of relations? What role do the Eurasian Economic Union, Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and Association of Southeast Asian Nations play in the dynamics of the region’s integration and what is their potential? How could the integration experience of Eurasia’s leading economies be used to promote the GEP? How complementary is the transport, logistics, energy, and payment infrastructure of regional players? How interconnected are they and what priorities can be highlighted when forming the GEP? Will the GEP be able to build on and enhance the scientific and technological potential of Eurasian states, including with regard to sustainable development?

Moderator
Victoria Panova, Vice-Rector, National Research University Higher School of Economics; Director, Center “Expert Council on the Participation of the Russian Federation in the BRICS Association”

Victoria Panova

Vice-Rector, National Research University Higher School of Economics; Director, Center “Expert Council on the Participation of the Russian Federation in the BRICS Association”

Panellists
Dmitry Volvach, Deputy Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation
Sergey Glazyev, Member of the Board, Minister in Charge of Integration and Macroeconomics, Eurasian Economic Commission
Konstantin Zatulin, First Deputy Chairman of the Committee of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation on CIS Affairs, Eurasian Integration and Relations with Compatriots
Karin Kneissl, Head, Center G.O.R.K.I. (Geopolitical Observatory for Russia’s Key Issues) SPbU; Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Austria (2017–2019)
Alexey Overchuk, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation
Alexander Pankin, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation
Nenad Popovic, Minister Without Portfolio, Government of the Republic of Serbia
Khan Sohail, Deputy Secretary General, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation
Abdul Umari, Acting Minister of Labour and Social Affairs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan
Ilan Shor, Head of Political Bloc Victory, Cultural and Educational Center of Moldova
Alexander Shokhin, President, Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs

Dmitry Volvach

Deputy Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation

He has three university degrees, graduating in 1996 from Lomonosov Moscow State University with a degree in physics. Graduated from Lomonosov Moscow State University with a degree in physics in 1996 and Lomonosov Moscow State University with a degree in law in 1998. Graduated from the Lomonosov Moscow State University with a degree in law in 1996 and the All-Russian State Tax Academy with a degree in finance and credit in 2001.

PhD in Law.

From 1998 to 2000 worked in the Inter-District Inspectorate No. 40 of the Ministry of Taxes and Duties of the Russian Federation in Moscow.

From 2000 to 2002 he held various positions in the Ministry of Taxes and Duties of the Russian Federation.

From 2002 to 2005, he was head of the Credit Organizations Department of the Ministry of Taxes and Duties of the Russian Federation.

From 2005 to 2008, he was Head of the Department of the Federal Tax Service for the Arkhangelsk Region and Nenets Autonomous District.

From 2008 to 2009, he was head of the Administration of the Federal Tax Service of the Stavropol Territory.

From 2009 to 2010, he was deputy head of the IT Department of the Federal Tax Service.

From 2010 to 2011, he was deputy head of the Administration of the Federal Tax Service in the Pskov Region.

In July 2011, he was appointed Head of the Transfer Pricing and International Cooperation Department of the Federal Tax Service.

In June 2014, he was appointed Head of the Department of Standards and International Cooperation of the Federal Tax Service.

In April 2018, he was appointed Head of the International Cooperation and Currency Control Department of the Federal Tax Service.

He holds the class rank of State Counsellor of the Russian Federation, 1st Class.

On 29 October 2019, he was appointed Deputy Head of the Federal Tax Service by order of the Government of the Russian Federation.

Sergey Glazyev

Member of the Board, Minister in Charge of Integration and Macroeconomics, Eurasian Economic Commission

He was born on January 1, 1961.

In 1983, he graduated from Moscow State University named after M.V. Lomonosov, majoring in Economic Cybernetics.
He began his career in 1983. From 1983 to 1991, he was a postgraduate student, worked as a junior researcher, researcher, senior researcher, head of laboratory of the Central Economics and Mathematics Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences.
From 1991 to 1992 - First Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Economic Relations of the Russian Federation.
In 1993, he was a leading researcher, acting head of laboratory of the Central Economics and Mathematics Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, served as First Deputy Minister, Minister of Foreign Economic Relations of the Russian Federation.
From 1993 to 1996 - Deputy in the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Economic Policy.
In 1996, he served as head of the Economic Security Directorate of the Office of the Security Council of the Russian Federation.
From 1996 to 1999 - head of the Information and Analytical Department of the Office of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation.
From 1999 to 2003, he was a deputy in the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, chairman and member of the State Duma Committee on Economic Policy and Entrepreneurship, member of the State Duma Committee on Credit Organizations and Financial Markets.
From 2003 to 2007 - Deputy in the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, member of the State Duma Committee on Health Protection, member of the State Duma Committee on Budget and Taxes.
From 2008 to 2012, he served as Deputy Secretary General of the EurAsEC.
From 2009 to 2012 - Executive Secretary of the Customs Union Commission.
From 2012 to 2019 - Advisor to the President of the Russian Federation.
From 2015 to the present - Head of the Department of Theory and Methodology of State and Municipal Administration, Faculty of Public Administration, Moscow State University named after M.V. Lomonosov.
Since October 2019, he has been appointed a Member of the Board – Minister in charge of Integration and Macroeconomics of the Eurasian Economic Commission.

He is a Doctor of Economics, Professor, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Konstantin Zatulin

First Deputy Chairman of the Committee of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation on CIS Affairs, Eurasian Integration and Relations with Compatriots

Karin Kneissl

Head, Center G.O.R.K.I. (Geopolitical Observatory for Russia’s Key Issues) SPbU; Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Austria (2017–2019)

Alexey Overchuk

Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation

Born 9 December 1964 in Korostyshev, Zhitomir Region, Ukraine.

1986: Graduated from the Moscow Timiryazev Agricultural Academy with a degree in Economic Cybernetics. PHD in Economics.

1986–1993: Senior laboratory technician at the Economic Cybernetics Department, junior research fellow, research fellow, senior research fellow at the laboratory for economic mechanism improvement at the Moscow Timiryazev Agricultural Academy.

1993–1998: Chief specialist, deputy head of the International Cooperation Department of the Russian State Committee on Land Resources and Land Management.

April–July 1998: Head of the Department of State Registration of Real Estate Rights at the Russian State Land Committee.

July–December 1998: Head of the Information and Analysis Department at the Russian Ministry of Land Policy, Construction, Housing and Utilities.

1998–1999: Head of the Information and Analysis Department at the Russian State Land Committee.

1999–2000: Head of the Information and Analysis Department at the Russian Land Policy Committee.

August 2000: Appointed deputy head of the Russian Federal Cadastre Service.

April 2004: Acting deputy head, July 2004: Deputy head of the Federal Real Estate Cadastre Agency.

2007–2008: Deputy head of the Federal Agency on Special Economic Zones Management.

2008–2010: Held senior positions at UFG Asset Management Group.

2010: Advisor to the head of the Federal Taxation Service.

2011: Appointed deputy head of the Federal Taxation Service.

21 January 2020: Appointed Deputy Prime Minister of Russia by a Presidential Executive Order.

Alexander Pankin

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation

Responsible for issues related to Eurasian integration and economic cooperation.
Born in 1963.
1985: graduated from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO University) under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Fluent in English and Hungarian.
Since 1985: gained extensive experience working both in the Ministry’s central office and abroad.
2001-2005: Senior Adviser with Russia’s Permanent Mission to the UN and other international organisations in Geneva.
2005-2010: Deputy Director of the Department of International Organisations at the Foreign Ministry.
2010-2014: First Deputy Director of Russia’s Permanent Mission to the UN in New York.
2014-2017: Director of the Department of International Organisations at the Foreign Ministry.
Since 2016: member of the Foreign Ministry Collegium.
Since October 2017: Deputy Foreign Minister.
Awards: letters of acknowledgement from the President and the Government of the Russian Federation and departmental awards.
Holds the diplomatic rank of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, First Class (conferred on August 15, 2013).
Married, with a daughter.

Nenad Popovic

Minister Without Portfolio, Government of the Republic of Serbia

Nenad Popović was born in Tuzla (Bosnia and Herzegovina) in 1966. In 1991, he graduated from the University of Belgrade.
He started his own business as he had successful experience as an employee of leading Western companies. In 1994, he founded a company, which later became an electric power holding company that employs over 3,000 people. He is currently the owner and president of ABS Electro. The company’s enterprises have been in business for more than half a century and they have always been and still are the leading ones in the field. In 2016, the company’s annual turnover exceeded RUB 10 bln. Its production facilities are located in Cheboksary and Saint Petersburg, and its Head Office is in Moscow.
In 2014, Nenad Popović founded the Serbian People’s Party (SNP), which is focused on political and economic rapprochement with Russia. In March 2014, as Vice-President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, he was the head international observer of the electoral process in a referendum on the status of Crimea. He was awarded the Order of Friendship for contribution to the development of economic and social relationships between Serbia and Russia; the decree was signed by the President of the Russian Federation in 2010.
In 2002, Nenad Popović established ABS Slavyanskiy charitable foundation. Since then, the foundation is vigorous in helping those in need. It implements child support programs, develops and carries out projects in the fields of culture, science, education, sports, and healthcare. Since its establishment, the foundation has organized a lot of events involving cultural professionals, music groups, artists, athletes, and journalists. It also carried out projects so patients could receive medical treatment from the leading Russian physicians. There are educational and other fundraisers to support orphaned children in Russia in Serbia being organized on a regular basis.
Since 2003, Nenad Popović has been teaching at the Department of Economy of Foreign Countries and International Economic Relations of the Faculty of Economics of Lomonosov Moscow State University. Since 2001, he has been Professor at the Department of Economics and Mining Operations Planning of the Moscow State Mining University. Years of his academic activity resulted in 90 scientific papers on economics and regional development and 7 books.

Khan Sohail

Deputy Secretary General, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation

Abdul Umari

Acting Minister of Labour and Social Affairs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan

Ilan Shor

Head of Political Bloc Victory, Cultural and Educational Center of Moldova

Alexander Shokhin

President, Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs

Alexander N. Shokhin was born 25 December, 1951.
Graduated from the Moscow State University in 1974.
Doctor of Economics, Professor.
Twice, in 1991-1994 and in 1998, Mr. Shokhin held the post of Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation.
In 1991-1994 he also held positions of Minister of Labor, Minister of Economics, Chairman of the Russian Agency for International Cooperation and Development.
From 1994 to 2002 – Deputy of the State Duma, with the posts of First Vice Chairman of the State Duma, leader of the Duma party bloc 'Our Home is Russia', Head of the Duma Committee on Credit Institutions and Capital Markets.
Since 1995 - President of the National Research University – Higher School of Economics.
From 2002 to 2006 – Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Investment Group "Renaissance Capital".
From 2005 to 2009 – member of the RF Public Chamber.
Since 2005 – President of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs. Mr. Shokhin is a member of several deliberative bodies under the Russian President and Government. He is also an independent director on the Boards of several companies, including ALROSA, Russian Railways, TMK and others.