Russia Must Focus on Developing Export Potential - Deputy PM

Russia needs to develop its export potential in order to occupy a serious place in the global economy, First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov said Thursday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — SPIEF, a major global platform for communication between business representatives and discussion of crucial economic issues, kicked off in Russia’s St. Petersburg on Thursday and will continue through Saturday.

"If we want to occupy a serious place in the global economy, it is export, of course. It is where small and medium-sized, large forms of entrepreneurship will be developing," Shuvalov said at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).

"The Russian authorities will support all that promotes export, and this is not necessarily the federal government, a lot depends on regional authorities," Shuvalov stressed.

Sputnik News Agency is the official media partner of the forum.