METROPOL Group has co-organized and taken part in the 5th International Academic and Research Conference on Priorities and Particulars of Development of the Baikal Region dedicated to the 350th anniversary of Buryatia’s voluntary accession to the Russian state.

This commemorative conference opened in the Government House in Buryatia’s capital, Ulan Ude, on 1 July 2011. It was attended by representatives of federal and regional governmental authorities, scientists and business community. They discussed a development strategy for the Baikal region’s economic potential and factors of its sustainable growth, as well as conditions for efficient economic development and environmental protection in the region.

Participants in the plenary meeting were greeted by Economy Minister of the Republic of Buryatia Tatiana Dumnova. Ms Dumnova highly praised the distinguished audience and expressed hope that the current commemorative conference “will give a further impetus to the development of the Republic of Buryatia”. “We set as our main task the promotion in the Baikal natural area of an advanced economy, an economy that will not be rigidly limited, but will develop and preserve the environment, the Baikal natural area”, said Tatiana Dumnova.

Greetings from Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov to the conference were read out by Oleg Vasnetsov, director of the Foreign Ministry’s Department for Contacts with federal subjects, the Parliament, and Public Associations. “The destiny of Buryatia is an integral part of the great history of Russia. The Republic has a substantial potential for expanding industrial, investment and innovation activities. By perfecting its ties with international partners, Buryatia makes a weighty contribution to our country’s advancement on the way to integration into the world economy”, underlined Vasnetsov.

Tourism development in the Baikal region and legislative regulation of the tourist industry in the Russian Federation were in the focus of a presentation by Chairman of the Tourism and Youth Commission of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation Vladimir Zhidkikh. He believes that the current international trend characterized by an increasing number of tourists traveling domestically rather than abroad has come to Russia with an ever-growing number of Russians dreaming of visiting Siberia and Baikal. However, according to independent international experts referred to by Zhidkikh, Russia yet taps its tourism potential by no more than seven percent. He is of the view that “we have something to show” and so he hails such conferences capable of giving an impetus to development of domestic tourism.

A report on specifics of operations of financial and industrial groups in the Baikal region as exemplified by METROPOL Group was presented by the Head of METROPOL Group Mikhail Slipenchuk. “The Republic of Buryatia accounts for some 30 percent of our company’s investment activities”, he noted. Head of METROPOL Group of Companies dwelt on the Group’s seven-year direct investment experience in Buryatia. As of today, METROPOL has invested some USD200 million in the Republic’s economy. The company’s investment in Buryatia is focused on mining, tourism, development of new technologies and social projects. “Lack of infrastructure, qualified staff and advanced materials and technologies used to restrain business development in Buryatia, but starting from 2008 efforts by the Republic’s leadership has brought about changes in the situation, and now Buryatia is a true business oasis”, as Slipenchuk figuratively put it in conclusion.

He voiced large-scale investment plans of METROPOL Group in the Republic (including construction and attainment of the design capacity of Ozerny GOK, construction of Baikal Harbor tourism and vacation zone, upgrading of Baikal airport in Ulan Ude, and construction of Noosphere museum in Irkutsk) and expressed hope for their successful implementation in close cooperation with the authorities of the Republic of Buryatia.