7th Eastern Economic Forum kicks off in Russia's Vladivostok

VLADIVOSTOK, Russia -- The 7th Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) kicked off in Russia's far eastern city of Vladivostok on Monday.

Being held on the campus of the Far Eastern Federal University through Thursday, this year's forum, themed "On the Path to a Multipolar World," includes key events such as "The Far East Street" exhibition which showcases the economic, investment and tourism opportunities of all the 11 regions of the Russian Far East.

"The Far East is developing. More than 2,700 investment projects are being implemented on its territory today. In addition, 120,000 jobs have been created," Russian Deputy Prime Minister and Presidential Envoy to the Far Eastern Federal District Yury Trutnev said Monday at the opening ceremony of the exhibition.

"We are opening 'The Far East Street' for the seventh time. Thousands of guests from dozens of countries of the world gather on the coastal land to talk about cooperation, about the development of the country and the Far East, in particular," Trutnev said.

The Roscongress Foundation, organizer of the EEF, said Russian President Vladimir Putin will speak on Wednesday at the plenary session of the forum.

On Sunday, TASS news agency citing Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reported that the topics of Putin's speech will include global processes and issues of the development of the Russian Far East.

Launched in 2015, the annual EEF is aimed at supporting the economic development of the Russian Far East and expanding international cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region, the official website of the EEF said.