"Russia is the future of the world": the legacy of the RUSSIA EXPO was discussed at SPIEF

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On June 6, the XXVII St. Petersburg Economic Forum (SPIEF) hosted the session "Russia: Creating the Future Together", where participants discussed the legacy, cultural and historical significance of the RUSSIA EXPO.

Maxim Oreshkin, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Executive Office of the President of the Russian Federation, noted that the RUSSIA EXPO has become a place for creating new ideas that have an impact on the life of the country.

"If someone has not been to the RUSSIA EXPO, I recommend visiting it. The number will exceed 15 million. The effect of the Exposition is there, and it is significant. And when we talk about the future, the National Centre should be such that its impact becomes even greater. Together, with all the regions, with all the citizens of our country, we will design and bring this to life. Our country has a future. Russia is the future of the world," Maxim Oreshkin said.

He also noted the importance of experience exchange between the Exposition participants.

"The idea of the Exposition evolved along with its successful realization. At first, the task was to demonstrate to people what regions, companies and people in our country have achieved. Then the process went on - and the exchange of knowledge and information led to the emergence of new projects. We see that with each new successful iteration, the goals of the Exposition change, and it acquires a new quality," said Maxim Oreshkin.

According to him, the Exposition can become a tool for achieving the national development goals of the country. Building proper communication between different groups of society and regions is a very important element of success, said the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office. The exchange of experience gives an impetus to the realization of new achievements. In this regard, the experience of the Exposition should be spread throughout the country.

"The Exposition has a positive impact on many people in our country and helps achieve greater results. People's interest shows that the RUSSIA EXPO has become a dynamic tool for communication, giving them new impetus: they see something, learn, come up with a new idea, get inspired, and implement it. These positive effects are evident in everything related to the Exposition. The energy that people get from it has an impact throughout the country," Maxim Oreshkin emphasized.

Natalia Virtuozova, Director General of the RUSSIA EXPO, moderated the session. In her welcoming speech, she thanked for the interest in the expositions and stands and noted that the success of the RUSSIA EXPO is the contribution of every visitor.

"The RUSSIA EXPO is a union of people and ideas, a concentration of dreams of all participants who filled the program with various events: more than 1200 cultural events, 750 business, 1500 educational ones. Our meeting today is a tribute to each of those involved. It is by uniting at the RUSSIA EXPO that we create the future together," Natalia Virtuozova emphasized.

Expositions and stands at the RUSSIA EXPO allow attracting young people to a particular industry, noted Alexei Likhachev, Director General of Rosatom State Corporation.

"In the Atom Pavilion, among other things, we talk about the humanitarian dimension of nuclear technologies - in medicine, materials science, agriculture and so on. Of course, the fight against oncology is impossible without it. Atom-inspired technologies - including additive technologies in the field of healthcare - are already a thing of the present day. Today atomic technologies are scientific discoveries, but tomorrow they will be commonplace," said Alexei Likhachev.

Regions should develop their own platforms similar to the RUSSIA EXPO, said Alexander Beglov, Governor of St. Petersburg. On May 31, the city has already opened the exposition "My St. Petersburg", which tells about the achievements of its residents. It allows to create a portrait of a person living in the Northern Capital.

"'My St. Petersburg' is not just an exposition where you can look at something. It is a journey-exposition. The exposition, where every visitor becomes a participant in the life of the city. All achievements are the result of labor of Petersburg residents. They are the main characters of the exposition. The main goal of the exposition is to make every citizen, having visited it, feel a part of the great city. The task of the exposition is to create a feeling that the history of St. Petersburg is being created today, and every citizen is a participant in it," said Alexander Beglov.

The RUSSIA EXPO allows regions to tell about themselves and gain experience from interaction with other subjects, emphasized Artem Zdunov, Governor of the Republic of Mordovia.

"A healthy competition has developed at the Exposition: if something interesting was held, it had a positive effect on everyone. We held a huge number of events, met with doctors, athletes - the event agenda has enriched us a lot. It needs to be further developed locally. We have never had such a platform to talk about the republic before," said Artem Zdunov.

The RUSSIA EXPO is a grandiose event, and the regions have taken a responsible approach to the creation of expositions, said Pavel Malkov, Governor of the Ryazan region. According to him, the work with the program and the stand allows the region to attract additional attention.

"The central theme at our exposition is the sky. Ryazan is the capital of Airborne Troops, the birthplace of Tsiolkovsky. Now we are a pilot region in the new national project on UAVs. And Ryazan also hosts the largest aeronautics festival "Sky of Russia". That is why we made a balloon at the stand. A huge number of people come to the Exposition - and the feedback is always positive. Every fifth guest who comes to the tourist information centre of the region says that they decided to visit Ryazan after visiting our exposition," said Pavel Malkov.

According to the Governor of Sevastopol Mikhail Razvozhayev, the Exposition has formed an environment that allows to learn and share experience.

"The RUSSIA EXPO is a unique platform where people not only talk about the great country, about the achievements of the region. It is a platform where we constantly exchange experience with our colleagues. Only Sevastopol residents work at our stand. They come to Moscow to share their love for the Hero City. And at the Exposition they see all the wealth of our country, how other regions are solving problems and creating incredible projects. And this gives an amazing synergetic effect for culture, for the social sphere, and, of course, for the economy. Therefore, for me, the Exposition is a huge school for our team," emphasized Mikhail Razvozhayev.