XVII Verona Eurasian Economic Forum

Ras Al Khaimah, 5-6 December, 2024

Organizator: Associazione Conoscere Eurasia

Forum’s Motto: “The Art of Innovation”

Forum Emcee:

  • Lenah Hassaballah, Editor, CNN Business Arabic


05 DECEMBER 2024

08:00 – 09:00 Participant registration

09:00 – 10:00 Opening Session

Moderator: Lenah Hassaballah, Journalist, CNN Arabia

WELCOME REMARKS

  • His Highness Sheikh Saud bin Saqr al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, UAE
  • H.E. Abdalla Sultan Al Owais, Vice Chairman, UAE Chambers
  • Antonio Fallico, President, Association «Conoscere Eurasia» (Italy)


10:00 – 11:30 Special Session

Keynote speech

  • Igor Sechin, Chief Executive Officer, Chairman of the Management Board, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors of Rosneft

Panelists

  • Andrey Kostin, President and Chairman of the Management Board, VTB
  • Antonio Fallico, President, Association «Conoscere Eurasia» (Italy)
  • Nobuo Tanaka, Chairman of the steering committee,  ICEF (Innovation for Cool Earth Forum)

Moderators: Aleksandr Dynkin, President of the Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO)
Alessandro Cassieri, journalist (Italy)

11:30 – 12:00 Special Appearance  

  • Romano Prodi, President of the Foundation for International Cooperation; President of the European Commission (1999-2004); Prime Minister of Italy (1996–1998, 2006–2008)
     

Moderator: Alessandro Cassieri, journalist (Italy)

12:00 – 13:00 Special Session: The UAE: A Rising Global Hub of Economic Power and Trust-building

The UAE has embarked on an ambitious and pragmatic economic strategy rooted in ‘The Principles of the 50’ to build the best and most dynamic economy in the world underpinned by a whole-of-government approach enshrined in the Second Principle (Economy First Doctrine), stating that “The economic development of the country is the supreme national interest, and all state institutions, in all fields and across different federal and local levels, shall bear the responsibility of building the best global economic environment and maintaining the gains achieved over the past 50 years.”
This highlights the UAE’s vision to accelerate sustainable growth, foster innovation, and expand its economic footprint in regional and global markets.
As a critical gateway between East and West, the UAE has emerged as a significant hub for business cooperation, attracting diverse international partners through strategic investments and progressive economic policies.
The UAE’s appeal consists of a blend of factors: forward-looking economic policies, geopolitical stability, high-quality infrastructure, and a regulatory environment conducive to business growth.

Moderator: Eddie Taylor, Communications strategist and consultant

  • HE Mohamed Sharief Alawadhi, Director-General – CEO, Fujairah Free Zone Authority
  • Islam Abdul karim, Regional Head, YANGO Middle East
  • Rashed Al Teneiji, Director of Business International Development & Trade Promotion Department – UAE Ministry of Economy
  • Damyana Bakardzhieva, Senior Research Fellow, Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy (AGDA)


13:00 – 14:00 Lunch

14:00 – 15:00 Session 1: Energy and environment: a marriage of convenience?
Without energy there is no economy, but energy itself in large part develops in line with the international environmental agenda. How can the traditional and essential energy be made more environmentally friendly? How can the green agenda be grounded in reality more? What could be the function of natural gas, hydropower and nuclear power in these processes?

Moderator: Tadzio Schilling, CEO, Association of European Businesses

  • Leonid Mikhelson, Chairman of the Board, Member of the Board of Directors, Novatek
  • Konstantin Simonov, CEO, National Energy Security Fund
  • Valery Vaisberg, Chief analyst, «REGION» Investment company
  • Mikhail Shvydkoy, Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for International Cultural Cooperation
  • Mohammad Abdelqader El-Ramahi, Chief Green Hydrogen Officer, Masdar
  • Musabah Al Kaabi, Executive Director, Low Carbon Solutions & Int’l Growth, ADNOC

15:00 – 16:30 Session 2: Regionalization vs globalization: a sustainable trend or a temporary phenomenon?
Geopolitical factors have a largely determining influence on economies and trade around the world. Can we say that globalization has been replaced by regionalization of relations? How does increased regional cooperation fit into the emergence of larger economic development trends all over the world? What kind of centers are being formed in the Eurasian space? What can be learned from the experience of the UAE and the Gulf states?

Moderator: Vito Rosario Petrocelli, president of Italy BRICS Institute

  • Aleksandr Pankin, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation
  • Tiberio Graziani, President of Vision & Global Trends International Institute for Global Analysis
  • Karen Shakhnazarov, Director General of Mosfilm Cinema Concern
  • Edward Lozansky, President of the American University in Moscow
  • Fabio Massimo Parenti, associate professor of international political economy and global studies, China Foreign Affairs University
  • Loretta Napoleoni, journalist, writer, political analyst (Italy)
  • Fatema Alnuaimi, Executive VP, Downstream Business Management, ADNOC


16:30 – 16:45 Coffee break

16:45 – 17:30 Session 3: Infrastructures and transportation—the key to successful regional and global development
The experience of recent years shows that without reliable transportation routes based on a developed and high-quality infrastructure, the economy stalls, slows down, and does not move forward. What new routes are emerging in the world, especially in the Greater Eurasia area? To what extent is this affected by new trade ties, particularly between Europe and Asia? This has crucial importance both for the development of local systems, such as local airports, rail and road hubs, and on a global scale. The UAE’s example and experience in developing new international and regional transportation corridors can be very relevant.

Moderator: Vincent O’Brien, Director of ICC

  • Vadim Mikhailov, First Deputy Managing Director (Strategic Planning and Development), JSC Russian Railways
  • Antonio Marano, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Friuli Venezia Giulia
  • Shadi Malik, CEO, Etihad Rail
  • Mona Khalil, Executive Director, Russian-Egyptian Business Council

18:00 – 19:00 Dinner (at the forum venue)

 

06 DECEMBER 2024

09:00 – 09:30 Opening of the second day of the Forum
Moderator: Alessandro Banfi, TV journalist (Italy)

  • Aleksandar Vulin, Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia

09:30 – 10:30 Session 4: Changing finance in a changing world
The financial world is going through one of the most turbulent periods of change Innovative solutions that make its functioning easier, various constraints that inhibit it, the emergence of new payment systems driven by technological advances and political constraints, a widening range of currencies for payments, escalating debt problems—these and many other factors are changing the context in which banks and financial institutions operate. How do they see the future of the financial industry?

Moderators: Alessandro Banfi, TV journalist (Italy)

  • Andrea Beltratti, Full Professor at the Department of Finance at University Bocconi
  • Maksim Korzhov, Interim Chairman of the Board, Credit Bank of Moscow
  • Veroljub Arsic, National Assembly Deputy Speaker and Chairman of the Committee on Finance, State Budget and Control of Public Spending, National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia
  • Raja AlMazrouei, CEO at Etihad Credit Insurance
  • Ivan Timofeev, Director General of the Russian International Affairs Council, Program director of the Valdai Discussion Club
  • Riccardo Fallico, Advisor to Chairman of Management Board on Bank Strategy Implementation, Banca Intesa
  • Andrey Belianinov, Director General, Eurasian Rating Agency; Secretary General of the Eurasian Peoples’ Assembly
  • Alex Krainer, Founder, Krainer Analytics
  • Mikhail Alekseev, President – Chairman of the Management Board, Otkritie FC Bank

10:30 – 11:30 Session 5: The challenge of new technologies—from digitalization to medicine
Since the early 21st century, new technologies have become an independent factor of the economic development. In many ways, they start to determine its main focus, impose the rhythm of movement, and become an independent element of entrepreneurship New directions for the economy—from information technologies to innovations in medicine—offer a wide range of opportunities. In what technological direction is mankind moving today?

Moderator: Philipp Pegorier, partner Kesarev; Vice Chairman of the board of the Association of European Businesses

  • Sergey Cheremin, Minister of the Government of Moscow, Head of the Department for External Economic and International Relations of the City of Moscow
  • Mujtaba Ali-Khan, Group Chief Clinical Innovation Officer, Burjeel Holdings
  • Alexander Dyomin, Secretary of State – Deputy Head, Federal Service for Ecological, Technological and Nuclear Supervision (Rostekhnadzor)
  • Dmitry Toporov, Managing Director, Axenix
  • Mohammed Saeed Al Raqbani, GM, Global Pharma

11:30 – 12:30 Session 6: An industry the global economy needs 
All manufacturing sectors are experiencing a new industrial revolution. What is the experience of Europe and Asia? What is more important—the real sector that delivers real products to the market, or the online content creators taking the lead in terms of market capitalization? How can these two be reasonably balanced? How can the prospects of new technologies for humans, such as AI, be assessed?

Moderator: Ahmed Al Naqbi, Chief Executive Officer of Emirates Development Bank (EDB)

  • Gilles Remy, President – CEO, CIFAL Group
  • Urs Unkauf, Managing Director, Federal Association for Economic Development and Foreign Trade (BWA)
  • HE Osama Fadhel, Assistant Undersecretary of Industry Accelerators Sector · Ministry of Industry & Advanced Technology
  • Ramy Jallad, Group CEO, Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone (RAKEZ)
  • Mikhail Popov, Deputy Chairman of the RSPP Committee on Scientific, Educational and Innovation Policy
  • Nawar  Abdul Wahed, CEO EurAsia Gulf

 

13:00 – 15:00 Lunch

15:00 – 16:00 Session 7: Ensuring food security and combating desertification 
The year 2024 marks the 30th anniversary of the Convention to Combat Desertification. This topic is of particular relevance in the context of international food security and the conservation of biological and water resources. What are the achievements in this area, particularly in the UAE, what needs to be done to saturate the global food market and fight against hunger?

Moderator: Mark Entin, Head of the Department of European Law, MGIMO; Ambassador of the Russian Federation in Luxembourg (2012–2016)

  • Alberto M. Scuero, Executive Managing Director, Carpi Tech
  • HE Khedaim Abdulla Al Derei, Co-Founder & MD, Al Dahra Group
  • Rashed Gargash, Founder, RashTions
  • Giuseppe Esposito, CEO, EP World

16:00 – 17:00 Session 8: Social development as a condition for an inclusive economy
Overcoming social inequality, inclusive development, creating conditions for utilizing the potential of various social and societal forces, primarily youth, improving education, health care, and culture are essential conditions for harmonious economic development.

Moderator: Alessandro Bianchi, independent journalist (Italy)

  • Jeffrey D. Sachs, Director, Center for Sustainable Development, Columbia University (video)
  • Francesco Sidoti, Italian sociologist
  • Luciano Larivera, Member of the Jesuit Order, Economist (Italy)
  • George Katrougalos, Vice-President of the International Association of Constitutional Law (IACL); Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece (2019)
  • HE Maqsoud Kruse, Chairperson of the National Human Rights Institution
  • Sara Shaw, Director of MAJRA

17:00 – 17:30 Forum summary

Moderator: Aleksey Pilko, Director of the Eurasian Communication Center

  • Antonio Fallico, President, Association «Conoscere Eurasia» (Italy)

December 05, 2024 (part 1)

December 05, 2024 (part 2)

December 06, 2024 (part 1)

December 06, 2024 (part 2)