OREANDA-NEWS. November 29, 2011. The plenary meeting of the Ist Karelian international investment forum took place in the Music Theatre of the Republic of Karelia on November, 24.

Roman Panov, Deputy Minister of Regional Development of the Russian Federation, Nadezhda Nazina, Deputy Minister of Sports, Tourism and Youth Affairs of Russia Nadezhda Nazina, Yuri Kancher, First Deputy Head of the Republic of Karelia, Valery Shliamin, Russian trade representative in Finland, Archbishop of Petrozavodsk and Karelia Manuil and others took part in work of the plenary session .

The Ist Karelian international investment forum took place in Petrozavodsk on the initiative of Head of Karelia Andrei Nelidov and with the support of President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev. The goal of the forum was search of new ways, resources and stimulus for human capital development as the key factor of modernization and social and economic development of the country. More than 1400 people from 11 countries have taken part in its work, including representatives of authority, business and public organizations, foreign guests.

In the beginning of the session Yuri Kancher, First Deputy Head of the Republic of Karelia, welcomed participants of the forum and read out the message of greetings of the President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev.

– For the first time Karelia has become a venue of the public event so important, – he said. – The Government of the republic pursues the open door policy and has already undertaken a number of steps to make the region more perspective for investors both external, and internal. At that, Karelian forum has its special flavour. Alongside with solution of purely pragmatic issues of economic and investment development of regions, problems of spirituality and morals are discussed here.

The key event of the forum was presentation of the Spiritual Transformation of the Russian North megaproject which Alexander Voronov, Minister of Youth Affairs, Physical Training, Sports and Tourism of the republic, presented on behalf of the Head of the Republic of Karelia.

– Since olden days three islands of Valaam, Kizhi and Solovki were the center of the Russian Orthodox culture, – he said. – On each of them there are Cathedrals of Transfiguration. And today they provide a spiritual and cultural support of the Russian North, are a visible symbol of the Trinity and Transfiguration, a national symbol of unity and renowation of Russia on the basis of traditions.

The inter-regional project sets its purpose the revival of traditions of the Russian North on the basis of spiritual riches of three great islands and was approved by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. The project assumes both preservation and revival of culture and spirituality of the Russian North, as well as development of territories around of the operating spiritual centers, improvement of people's life and further development of tourism as a branch of economy, mobilization of significant financial and human resources for solution of these problems.

Within the scope of the project it is supposed to build a lot of new tourist objects, public, cultural and ethnographic centers, roads, develop modern communication facilities and communications on the basis of public-private partnership. Karelian megaproject was cordially welcomed by participants of the forum.

The forum also offered eight round table discussion sites which participants considered a wide range of issues closely related to problems of regional development. During the plenary session heads of discussion sites have reported about results of discussion of ways of solution of the most important social and economic problems.

While summarizing the first day of the forum, Roman Panov, Deputy Minister of Regional Development of the Russian Federation, addressed to the audience.

– The forum in Karelia has turned out to be not just and an investment forum, but it is both investment and spiritual, – Roman Panov Said. – Within the scope of the forum we have managed to combine apparently different things. Investments and business are based on pragmatism and rigorous calculation. It is very important that within the framework of one event it is possible to discuss cooperation between business, authorities and society in development of economy, public life and spirituality of Russia.

In conclusion of the session participants of the forum have adopted a resolution which says that successful development of Russia and its regions and achievement of the overall objective of this development – improvement of quality of people's life – demands search of new ideas, approaches and models providing creation of new points of economic growth. One of such new models may be an 'infrastructural development model' making it possible to unite economic growth, improvement of quality of life and strengthening of the statehood. Its implementation may be expressed in the form of many projects and megaprojects offered by participants of the forum.

Besides, participants of the forum have pointed out, solution of many social and economic tasks will require prompt modification in the current Russian legislation, as well as development of the ideological doctrine of Russia. Participants of the forum have also suggested the interested constituent entities of the Russian Federation to stand as 'pilot' territories to develop new methods of solution of social and economic tasks and implement regional and inter-regional megaprojects.