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Published: March 31st, 2017

Moderators:

Konstantin Babkin, co-chairman of the Forum, President of the Industrial Union "New Commonwealth"

Ruslan Grinberg, co-chairman of the Forum, scientific director of the Institute of Economics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Corresponding Member of the RAS

Participants:

Mikhail Pogrebinsky, Director of the Kiev Center for Political Studies and Conflictology (Ukraine)

Valery Eremeev, chairman of the Agricultural Artel "Kolkhoz Mayak", Kaluga region

Elena Lenchuk, Director of the Institute of Economics of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Sergey Baburin, President of the European Institute JUSTO

Vladislav Zhukovsky, Managing Director of Triumph Capital

Andrey Parshev, economist, publicist

Yuri Goncharov, President of the Association of Investors and Initiators "Investment Bridge"

The 5th Moscow Economic Forum is over. Participants summed up its results at the final plenary discussion. Ruslan Grinberg, co-chairman of the Forum, scientific director of the Institute of Economics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, said that five years ago the Forum was created as a platform where people with different world views can present their opinions. Pluralism of opinions is still a key component of the MEF.

Konstantin Babkin, co-chairman of the Forum, President of the Industrial Union "New Commonwealth" also stressed that within the framework of the MEF-2017 more than 40 discussions took place on the most pressing political topics.

Speaking about the situation in Ukraine, Ruslan Grinberg noted that this is not only a tragedy, but also a great shame for Russia and Ukraine. "Even in adolescents, Russia did virtually nothing to stop the national sentiment in Ukraine. This "syndrome of the elder brother" and received such consequences, "- said the co-chairman of the MEF.

"There have never been such dramatically bad relations between Ukraine and Russia. Many people consider counting the crisis of relations from a revolution three years ago, but I believe that the crisis has been brewing for 25 years of independence, regardless of who came to power," said Mikhail Pogrebinsky, director of the Kiev Center for Policy Studies and Conflictology (Ukraine).

He stressed that Ukraine's entire policy was slowly moving away from Russia. The most obvious opposition came at a time when anti-Russian politicians came to power. At that moment, according to Pogrebinsky, the West decided that it had received Ukraine. "But at the same time, politicians did not calculate Russia's reaction to these events"

The expert noted the duality of the policy pursued in Kiev. On the one hand, today the Ukrainian authorities are at war with the Russian Federation, on the other hand, the strategic partnership agreement has not yet been denounced. President Poroshenko uses the term "occupiers" in relation to Russia, but does not hurry to sign real documents. Now the countries are in a state of rigid break of all communications though contacts even at the highest level proceed. President Poroshenko demonstrates a willingness to yield to any radical-minded part of society, ready even to start a war between countries. The head of Ukraine, according to Pogrebinsky, found himself in a foolish situation when he, at the expense of the country, forced him to head the economic blockade of Donbass.

It is necessary to change the information policy and conduct joint cultural events to improve relations between countries, concluded the MEF Speaker.

Two ways of directing the development of the agricultural sector of Russia suggested. "The state must find the strength not to substitute for business, but to find ways of cooperation. After all, both the state and business benefit from having a solvent population. Business can actively develop, only with increasing solvency of the population. The authorities are also profitable, because the population is more loyal to politics, "says the chairman of the Mayak collective farm, Valery Yeremeyev.

In his opinion, it is necessary to reconsider issues related to the decentralization of agricultural management. Municipalities should form a tax base and dispose of income by themselves. In addition, it is necessary to improve the training of specialists, create schools, deepen agricultural training in specialized schools. All these facts will contribute to the development of the agricultural sector.

Elena Lenchuk, director of the IE RAS, described the structural priorities of the Russian economy. According to her, Russia needs a high economic dynamic - 5-7% in the short term. In accordance with this dynamic, it is necessary to form a new model of economic growth, based on the development of the real sector of the economy. This model assumes the formation of new, capacious markets, both internal and external. Russia needs also the development of housing and communal services, infrastructure, transport projects: they must become the driver of economic growth. In addition, Russia needs to enter foreign markets. Today, processes of new industrialization are taking place in the world, new technologies are being introduced. And if Russia does not respond to these challenges, it will become uncompetitive, Lenchuk believes. It is necessary not only to develop high-tech industries, but also to solve the problem with the development of investment industries: to revive engineering, machine tool construction on a new technological basis.

The leader of the Russian National Union (ROS) Sergey Baburin spoke about the alternative political program that was discussed within the framework of the MEF.

"We need to stop being afraid of the word protectionism, because we need to revive the economy, its production. If you need to leave the WTO for this, you need to leave it. Different views sounded here, but no one doubted that it was necessary to get rid of the parasitism of the state, from the parasitism of the economy. The state must stop constantly changing the rules of the game! We must not help those who have small pearls, but those who have a thin soup. We should not feed the court oligarchs, but should help those who really work for the welfare of the state! "- called Baburin.

What decisions are possible in the sphere of public administration, said economist and publicist Andrei Parshev. He recalled that the Soviet economy was also created by people familiar with the market economy. Therefore, now in Russia there are also people who know the real economy.

"Now there is a certain chance to create a normal economy. Do not wait for miracles and some radical solutions. It is enough to conduct an audit of decisions that existed in the XX century, and choose from them those who work ", - the economist believes.

Prospects for cooperation between Russia and China were identified by Yuri Goncharov, president of the Association of Investors. The accumulated level of China's investment in Russia, he said, reaches $ 10 billion. Chinese partners are interested in developing investment opportunities on the territory of our country, but there are a number of problems - this is the opacity of transactions, and the instability of politics.

"The prospects for China's participation are connected, first of all, with large companies and global investment projects, the expert emphasizes. Barriers to attracting investment in private business must be overcome and more widely involve Chinese businessmen in Russian enterprises. The implementation of investment cooperation with China is one of the most priority areas of the Russian economy. In the nearest future, it is necessary to launch several mechanisms of joint ventures that could operate with investment funds. The launch of these mechanisms will allow us to get the development momentum in the short term, "Goncharov concluded.