2016 Eastern Economic Forum in Russia's Vladivostok

As the Eastern Economic Forum wrapped up in Russia’s Far Eastern city of Vladivostok, BP’s CEO Robert Dudley told Radio Sputnik why his company is keen to strengthen its ties with Russia and is particularly interested in the region.

Sputnik has asked Australia’s ex-Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to share his thoughts about the Eastern Economic Forum business conference that has just closed up shop in Vladivostok, and of the discussions held there by the leaders of Russia, China, Japan and South Korea.

The world should counter spreading epidemics by "a new thinking", UN Assistant Secretary-General Luiz Loures told Sputnik.

The Russian Promobot company is ready to provide its robots for the Arab and Japanese markets, the firm's co-founder told Sputnik.

Russia and South Korea signed a number of documents on Saturday after the talks of Russian President Vladimir Putin and his South Korean counterpart Park Geun-hye.

According to the Russia's Far East development minister, more than 200 agreements worth 1.7 trillion rubles ($26 billion) have been signed during the Eastern Economic Forum.

South Korean President Park Geun-hye said the likelihood of a conflict with North Korea was increasing every day.

Russia is ready to consider the proposal of South Korea concerning the development of Eurasian integration, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Saturday.

Russia believes that the issue of the North Korean nuclear problem should be addressed within the overall military and political detente in Northeast Asia, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday.

The Russian space agency hopes to develop ground infrastructure for the launch of South Korea's KSLV-2 rocket.

The Russian economic development minister said he saw no need for an anti-crisis plan for 2017 as the country was "moving toward economic growth".

The Russian economic development minister said that CNPC still showed interest in Rosneft privatization.

Moscow has agreed with Japanese state-owned banks on special lending terms allowing them to finance Russian projects without participation of private banks, Economic Development Minister Alexei Ulyukayev said Saturday.

Russia’s Far Eastern port city of Vladivostok hosted the second Eastern Economic Forum, seen as a brainstorming session for Asian policymakers and businessmen in giving new steam to Moscow’s integration into the Pacific locomotive of global growth.

President Vladimir Putin voiced support for holding a year of Korean culture in Russia.

Russian state-owned oil giant Rosneft jointly with South Korean Hyundai Heavy company expects to start production of tankers running on natural gas motor fuel by 2020, Rosneft CEO Igor Sechin said Saturday.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at a plenary session of the Eastern Economic Forum on Saturday called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to start a new era in bilateral relations between Tokyo and Moscow.

Russia should improve infrastructure in its Far Eastern regions in order to lure more Asian investors to take part in their development, Michael Tay, Singapore’s former ambassador to Russia, told Sputnik on Friday.

The weather in the Ajax Bay of Vladivostok’s Russky Island changes almost every hour. It’s rainy and windy, but the 2016 Eastern Economic Forum started off just as planned.

The decision on introduction of a floating exchange rate for the Russian currency has been taken for a long term, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday.