Russian Davos is

The Swiss mountain ski resort of Davos, where the sacramental question "Who is Mr. Putin?" sounded four years ago, will plunge into Russian problems again in one week’s time. "Russia's investment outlooks for a new presidential term" is the name of the conference that will be held by the RosBusinessConsulting company on March 17-21. The goal of the conference as defined by the organizers is to "boost ties between Russian and western business circles with the aim of attracting foreign investment in the Russian economy, and Russia's further integration into the global economic community". This is the ninth such conference, but it is the first time that it will be held in Davos, the venue of the World Economic Forum. Perhaps, this is logical: why stop a good tradition of discussing Russian problems at the Swiss resort. And the timing seems appropriate, too: in this or that form, the question "Who is Mr. Fradkov?" will be discussed at the Russian Davos forum.

The forum's program defines this issue in the following way: "What should investors expect from the government?" There will be many other interesting questions: "How much will the GDP grow over the next few years?", "Where to invest in Russia except in oil, gas and metals?", "Which sectors of the economy will be growing the quickest?"... More than three hundred Russian and foreign experts will try to answer these questions. Government officials, top managers of companies, banks and financial funds will take part in the conference. A wide range of more practical issues will also be discussed, including the introduction of the International Accounting Standards, the consequences of mergers and acquisitions for portfolio investors, speculators and minority shareholders, and even countryside real estate and plots of land. In order words, both theoreticians and practitioners will have enough questions to discuss, and not only at plenary sessions and round tables - the visible part of the forum. No less important is the 'underwater' part - informal communication, where the main practical results of such meetings are fostered. They say the mountainous air of Davos is particularly favorable for establishing business contacts.