The State Duma announced the interest of economists from around the world in SPEC-2025

The X anniversary St. Petersburg International Economic Congress (SPEC-2025), which is taking place these days, has gathered guests from around the world, both friendly to the Russian Federation and not at all. This shows how economics can become the basis for a constructive dialogue. Ekaterina Kharchenko, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Science and Higher Education, told Izvestia on April 9.

"SPEC-2025 brought together scientists, economists, government officials, and the real sector of the economy from many countries around the world, including, by the way, Canada, the United States, and many other so-called unfriendly countries. From Italy, from other European countries, which suggests that economics is becoming the foundation for establishing a constructive dialogue and forming a new, including global, way of life," Kharchenko said.

The deputy noted that this year the participants focused on the priority of knowledge in the so—called "noonomics", as well as the issue of integrating creative industries into the national economy - everything related to the creative potential of human capital in the Russian Federation.

"The most important thing is that this is traditionally the 10th time that the forum has become a platform for dialogue for all those for whom figures, calculations, and economic models form the basis of managerial decision-making. And we see that the results that arise at round tables and sections then form the basis of the country's state policy and form a stable trajectory for the socio-economic development of the state," the parliamentarian said.

As always, foreign colleagues and academic economists took part in the congress, and the Free Economic Society and the International Union of Economists did a lot of work for this.

"The Free Economic Society is celebrating its 260th anniversary this year. It was created by the [Empress] Catherine II. Thanks to the active actions and leadership of the Free Economic Society and all participants in the field, in the regions, and interuniversity cooperation, connections between scientists in the world of science are maintained, despite any geopolitical factors and a huge number of tens of thousands of chances against the real sector of the economy," Kharchenko said.

The jubilee X St. Petersburg International Economic Congress (SPEC-2025) is being held on April 8-9. His theme: "Labor and transformation of society: knowledge, creativity, economy".

Earlier in the day, the head of the Central Bank of Russia, Elvira Nabiullina, speaking in the State Duma, said that about half of the assets of Russian citizens and companies frozen abroad had been unblocked by the beginning of this year.

Nabiullina added that the Central Bank, together with the Ministry of Finance and the government, are taking all necessary measures to unblock the foreign assets of Russian investors in full.