During the discussion, the session participants touched upon the most attractive and promising areas for interaction between St. Petersburg and the State of Qatar: innovative solutions in the field of transport and port infrastructure, urban economy; management of sports facilities; academic exchanges; holding major international events, restaurant business and preserving cultural values.

The meeting moderator, Arbi Abubakarov, Deputy Chairman of the Committee for External Relations of St. Petersburg, delivered welcoming remarks: “It can be said without exaggeration that our desire to cooperate is mutual. St.Petersburg is one of the world's leading centres of oriental studies. And today we go on strengthening and developing humanitarian and business ties.”

Arbi Abubakarov noted that St. Petersburg is known all over the world as the cultural capital of Russia, but at the same time it is one of the largest industrial centres in the country, providing almost 8% of the total industrial production in Russia, which is one of the leading scientific and educational centres of the country. More than 10% of Russian scientific potential is concentrated here. In addition, the Northern Capital hosts many major sporting events.

Sergey Voronkov, President of the Russian Union of Exhibitions and Fairs, General Director of ExpoForum International, congratulated all those present on the World Exhibition Day, which is celebrated on June 2: “This is a special day for us, and that’s not a coincidence.”

According to him, St. Petersburg has a powerful industrial potential, which allows to conduct effective work on organizing and conducting business events in the sphere of fuel and energy complex, transport and port infrastructure. Thus, it increases the investment attractiveness of the region's economy and ensures its dynamic development in the long term.

ExpoForum International is one of the top 5 organizers of exhibitions and congresses in Russia and is the operator of the Expoforum Convention and Exhibition Centre and a member of the following professional industry associations: ICCA, UFI, AIPC, RUEF, CEPLA, NAEO. The Congress and Exhibition Centre was built according to the standards of the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry (UFI) and has a well-developed infrastructure required to hold all kinds of events.

“We host about 200 events annually, which are attended by about 1.5 million people, including major world congresses, seven of which have already taken place during seven years of our existence and nine have been won by 2028. These are the largest congresses in the world. In particular, in 2023 we shall host two world congresses: the International Conference and Exhibition on Liquefied Natural Gas and the World Energy Congress. Expoforum’s portfolio of events is in line with the priorities and key competences of St. Petersburg’s economic and social development. And, since our calendar is tied to the strategic clusters of the city, that is, events that take place on an annual basis. There is such a proverb: “The main thing is to launch the beginning, and then the case will be automatically settled.” Congresses and exhibitions are the best chance to lay the foundation for all areas for cooperation between St. Petersburg and Qatar,” Sergei Voronkov concluded.

Dmitriy Prozherina, Deputy Chairman of the Committee for Industrial Policy and Innovation, focused on promising projects in the field of shipbuilding, radio electronics, automotive industry, pharmaceuticals and mechanical engineering.

Igor Maksimtsev, Rector of St.Petersburg State University of Economics, Doctor of Economics, Professor, devoted his speech to educational projects: “There are more than 100 universities and almost half a million students in St. Petersburg. We train specialists in all areas: engineers, pharmacology, medicine, humanities, economists. We believe that students of any country are the future of our countries, and the better they get to know each other, the stronger and more powerful our cooperation shall be.”

Igor Vasiliev, Director of the St. Petersburg State Autonomous Institution Directorate for the Management of Sports Facilities drew attention to cooperation in the field of sports projects and the operation of sports infrastructure.

Gunel Nizami Kyzy Izmailova, Managing Director of the Ginza Project, shared her experience of running a hotel and restaurant business in our city.

Irina Popova, Director of the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts of the Russian Academy of Sciences, touched upon the topic of mutual relations in the joint study of the culture and history of the State of Qatar and other countries of the East.

For their part, representatives of the State of Qatar showed an open interest in each direction and expressed a desire to expand mutually beneficial cooperation in the near future.