Russia Informs US of Business Community's Interest in G20 Events

WASHINGTON, July 2. /TASS/. The Russian side informed the United States of the interest of the Russian business community in participating in relevant G20 events, including the G20 summit scheduled for December 14-15 in Doral, near Miami, Florida, Denis Agafonov, head of the expert department of the Russian president’s administration and the Russian sherpa in the Group of Twenty (G20), told reporters.

"We have confirmed to the American side our interest in having Russian business represented at relevant G20 events, so that it has the opportunity to state its position and convey its point of view and assessments of the situation," he said in response to a TASS reporter’s question about the possibility of Russian businesses’ participation in the summit. "We believe <…> no economic impact or economic growth is possible without the active involvement of the private sector," Agafonov said following the G20 sherpa meeting in Washington on June 29-30.

During the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in June, he "undertook to convey to the American side <...> the interest of our business representatives" in participating in the work of the G20 and "did so," the official noted. There is a well-established ‘Business 20’ (B20) format, he said, adding that the Russian side’s interests within the B20 are represented by the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP).