Experts discussed the results of the first day of the Verona Economic Forum

The main topics of discussion at the opening of the Verona Eurasian Economic Forum, which is being held in Ras al-Khaimah (UAE) on December 5-6, were the BRICS expansion, Russia's role in the global energy market, as well as the election of Donald Trump as US president and the upcoming changes in the world due to this. Experts discussed the results of the first day of the forum in a conversation with Izvestia.

Weighted Relationship: BRICS partners will receive this status from January 1

The Russian Foreign Ministry named another country that accepted the invitation to participate in the new format

According to Igor Sechin, head of Rosneft, the US has lost its leadership in science, industry and finance and has failed to ensure the maintenance of a fair world order. He called the rapid expansion of BRICS an indicator of the world's desire for multipolarity and moving away from hegemony.

"We are seeing a rapid increase in the number of countries seeking to join BRICS. The aspiration is so strong that at the moment it is uncontrollable. About 40 countries have publicly expressed interest in joining BRICS, of which 23 have already submitted a formal application," said Antonio Fallico, president of the Cognizant Eurasia association.

The desire of the American authorities to create special conditions for their economy at the expense of other market participants is reflected in the situation in many countries. Despite this, the clear American influence on international politics is eroding, the expert emphasized.

For example, the new administration of Donald Trump will raise duties and tariffs on imported goods, especially from China and Asia in general, to deal a blow to the development of the economy of the PRC and other Asian countries. According to Fallico, this is meant to promote the reindustrialization of the United States.

"Will the countries concerned wait like lambs to be eaten by the gray wolf? What are they preparing for themselves? What could be the consequences of such decisions on the part of the Americans?" - he wondered.

The solution to the issue of trade under sanctions is the development of international ties and national currencies. As Andrey Kostin, head of VTB Bank, said at the forum, it is necessary to create a parallel Western infrastructure and look for alternative ways. At the same time, it is becoming increasingly obvious that the US position is not immutable, Maxim Lazovsky, founder of the Lazovsky Investments project, pointed out.

"We have already managed to catch up with America. And we can overtake it in the long term together with the state and within the framework of joint initiatives of investors and the regulator - public-private partnerships," he emphasized.

Read more in the exclusive material of Izvestia:

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