The ninth annual Eastern Economic Forum, held over Sept. 3-6 in Vladivostok, featured over 7,000 guests from 75 countries, primarily high-level officials and business people. Russian President Vladimir Putin keynoted the plenary session on Sept. 5.
A total of 258 agreements were signed, amounting to 5.4 trillion rubles ($59.7 billion), and with a special emphasis on building a large new chemical complex in Komi Republic and a new timber processing complex in Sakhalin, Sputnik reported.
The Komi Republic, an autonomous republic within the Russian Federation, is located in the far northeastern portion of European Russia, directly south of Severny Island (which divides the Barent Sea on the west from the Kara Sea on the east). It is rich in mineral resources, oil, natural gas, bauxite, gold and diamonds; wood and wood products are major industries.
