Izvestia (Moscow) - October 6, 2008

After Russian bombers' training flights in Venezuela and the heavy missile cruiser Peter the Great's naval exercise off the coast of Latin America, Russian businessmen decided to land their 'troops' in Chile and Argentina. RBC's economic forum will be devoted to investments in Latin America.

To state the obvious, the Russian capital is rapidly integrating into the global economic system. Russian companies are already operating in Europe, North America, Africa and Central Asia. South America, however, is still a blank spot on the map of Russian business operations.

When we hear about Chile and Argentina, we think of excellent wine, Augusto Pinochet, tango, spectacular soccer, and the female Presidents Michelle Bachelet and Cristina Kirchner. But what we do not think about is the fact that Chile is a leading producer of copper and iodine that introduces new technologies and is known for its lowest investment risks among all Latin American countries (with Standard & Poor's rating of A+). The country also attracts investors by offering a low single import duty of 6 percent.

Argentina has also demonstrated impressive economic performance. The country has managed to almost completely restore production following the crisis that occurred 7 years ago. As of today, Argentina is a continental leader in terms of GDP growth (8.5 percent in 2007), a country with a well-developed and diversified agriculture, and large deposits of natural resources (sulfur, natural gas, oil, uranium, tungsten, iron, and manganese).

Currently, the country's economy is drawing thousands of European and American investors, but Russian businessmen seem to be in no rush to get there. With this in mind, RBC's 19th international business conference, Strategic Partnership and Profitable Investment, is aimed at improving the situation. The conference is held as part of Russian Days in Latin America and it is supported by the Executive Office of the Russian Federation, Foreign Ministry and Russian Center Abroad. The summit will be attended by the country's leading politicians and economic experts, including Alexei Gordeyev, German Gred, Leonid Melamed, Arkady Dvorkovich, Valentina Matviyenko, and Sergei Polonsky.