The development of the Far East and the economy were discussed at the WEF-2025

The plenary session of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF-2025) was devoted to the development of the Far East, as well as to the discussion of key social and infrastructure projects in the region aimed at improving the quality of life of millions of Russians. The meeting was held on September 5.

One of the key directions remains the development of the Transarctic transport corridor, which runs from St. Petersburg to Vladivostok through Murmansk, Arkhangelsk and the entire Northern Sea Route. This complex system will have to combine sea, rail, and road modes of transport, as well as use the potential of the largest rivers — the Ob, Yenisei, and Lena.

"This in itself is unique — every year at the WEF the whole country follows the development of the Far East. And every year here, at the plenary session, new vectors of large—scale transformation of a key region of Russia are set," said Anton Zolotnitsky, a correspondent for Izvestia.

At the plenary session, Russian President Vladimir Putin explained that an important task is the effective development of the natural resources of the Far East.

"Over the past years, the Far East has taken a leading position in many key indicators, primarily economic ones, outpacing the national pace. Thus, in 10 years, the gross regional product of the Far East has increased more than two and a half times — from 4 trillion rubles to 11 trillion. During this time, 20 trillion rubles have been invested in the fixed assets of Far Eastern companies and enterprises," the head of state stressed.

At the plenary session, it was noted that thanks to the Far Eastern and Arctic mortgage program with a 2% interest rate, more than 165,000 families have already been able to move into new apartments.

"I think it's right to make the Far Eastern and Arctic mortgages available to all families in the region who are raising three or more children. I would like to emphasize: for all large families, regardless of the age of the parents. We had a 35—year age limit there, but now women give birth not at 35, but at 40 or more, God forbid. The more kids we have, the better!" said Putin.

He added that all employees of educational institutions in the region will be able to get a mortgage at a reduced rate. Prior to that, the program was expanded to include veterans of special military operations, employees of defense enterprises, and doctors.

"For 10 years, this has been the 20-24 year old category, with a steady influx of young people. This is the first influx of first-year students to universities in the Far East. Historically, people have traveled from the Far East to study in other regions of the country. Today, 76% of our Far Eastern applicants remain to study in the Far East," said Alexey Chekunkov, Minister of the Russian Federation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic.

Salaries are an important incentive. In ten years in the Far East, they have increased by an average of two and a half times — up to 100 thousand rubles. Putin stressed that a high-wage economy should be formed in Russia.

"Some people think that hypothermia has already set in, but lending has not stopped. Everyone also understands that if inflation overwhelms the economy, nothing good will happen, because it is impossible to predict anything even for 10 days, let alone for years ahead," the president said.

Putin separately stressed that, despite the expensive loans, the Russian economy is not stagnating. He also instructed, while maintaining conditions for existing investors, to launch a single preferential business regime in the country and throughout the Far East and the Arctic. Andrey Kostin, Chairman of the VTB Management Board, clarified that inflation in the country is well controlled, which has led to a rate cut of 1-2%.

The effective operation of the entire region depends on logistics. Putin instructed to continue the modernization of the Eastern Railway range, including the BAM and the Trans—Siberian Railway, as well as air services.

"Unfortunately, I have to agree, this is not being resolved as quickly as we would like, but here is Baikal, and there are other small aircraft that should replace the An-2. Nevertheless, this work is underway, I won't hide it, we sometimes quarrel with some of our responders, as they said at the time, and they will have to speed up this work, the implementation of these plans," Putin believes.

Work on the development of the Transarctic corridor should also be accelerated. This is a new concept — it unites the Northern Sea Route and all the routes adjacent to it. The Head of State informed that it is necessary not only to lay reliable and safe sea routes in the Arctic, but also to start the round-the-clock operation of the Transarctic corridor. At the same time, we are talking about the modernization of seaports in the Arctic and the Far East.

Putin returned to the topic of logistics several times. He stressed the importance of reliably connecting the Far East with Asian countries.

Everything is quiet: the tourist flow to the Far East is growing at a record pace

The number of trips has increased by 12% since the beginning of the year, which spurs interest in this area.

The day before, the Russian leader noted the outstripping pace of development of the Far East. According to him, significant industrial and infrastructure facilities have been created in recent years. Putin clarified that the development of the region is a national priority of the country.

The jubilee Eastern Economic Forum is taking place on September 3-6 at the Far Eastern Federal University campus. This year, the main theme of the forum is "The Far East: cooperation for peace and prosperity."

In his greeting to the participants, organizers and guests of the WEF, Putin noted that over the past decade, the WEF has rightfully earned a high reputation.

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