OREANDA-NEWS.  February 15, 2012. The Russia Forum took place for the fifth year in a row, organised this year by both Sberbank of Russia and Troika Dialog. Famous economists, political figures and world renowned experts discussed the prospects of the global economy, the path to overcoming the eurozone crisis and the new model of Russian economic policy in the current era of global changes.

This year around 3,000 people took part in the event, which is proof of the growing interest in The Russia Forum shown by business representatives, the government and the global professional community. The Forum has become one of the most authoritative discussion platforms. Key speakers this year were Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin, ex-British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and distinguished Western economists Nouriel Roubini, Michael Milken, Paul Krugman as well as other high-profile representatives of the global political and economic elite. In total, at The Russia Forum 2012 and its Special Day “Cinema and Money” there were over 40 panel discussions and sessions focusing on a wide range of the most varied topics, from global economic challenges to investing in art and the potential of modern Russian cinema. The Forum was covered by 345 journalists representing 113 foreign and Russian media outlets from 12 countries, including 20 television channels.

The keynote of the first day of The Russia Forum 2012 was the understanding that the time has come to more actively invest in human capital. This applies to both developing countries and developed countries, which are have recently faced serious economic problems, the scale and consequences of which are yet to be fully assessed. Furthermore, leading Western economists and politicians, including Gordon Brown, are certain that Russia has the resources necessary to become one of the leading global economies and rise to the position of one of the top 5 most important players on the global stage within the next 5 to 10 years.