St. Petersburg International Economic Forum 2011 Key Themes and Program Architecture Have Been Confirmed

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia, March 3, 2011 - The Organizing Committee of the St. Petersburg International Economic
Forum (SPIEF) met on February 22 to approve the key themes and program
architecture for SPIEF 2011.

This year's meeting will convene under the theme "Emerging Leadership for
a New Era". Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero will attend
the Forum, and we also expect to welcome a greater number of participants
from emerging market economies. Asia in particular will be well represented,
with a number of Heads of State from the region planning to come.

The SPIEF 2011 sessions will be structured along three major subthemes.
Sessions under the subtheme "Securing Global Growth" will focus on
opportunities for balanced growth and potential threats to the global
economy, currency policies, and the future of energy supplies among others.

A number of sessions will be organized under the subtheme "Building
Russia's Creative Capital", which will focus in depth on Russia's business
and economic environment and modernization efforts, including stimulating
innovation, plans to create a global financial centre in Moscow, unleashing
entrepreneurship and developing a new generation of leaders. The Forum
program will also include briefings and question-and-answer sessions
involving Russian officials responsible for privatization, infrastructure
development, healthcare reform and the overall business and investment
climate.

Finally, there are a host of sessions under the subtheme "Expanding
Technology Horizons", which will explore in-depth the topics covering a broad
range of disruptive innovations and technologies. Traditional panel sessions
will be supplemented by industry breakfasts as well as business roundtable
discussions. Particular attention will also be devoted to energy issues, with
sessions bringing together international experts and the heads of the world's
leading energy companies.

Irina Sukhova, irina.sukhova at forumspb.com; Svetlana Smelik svetlana.smelik at forumspb.com, +7(911)-257-86-07