The European Commission called on the purpose of the visit Juncker forum in St. Petersburg – RBC

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker

Photo: Markus Schreiber / AP

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker will visit St. Petersburg economic forum, to convey to the Russian leadership, as well as to a wider audience of the European Union point of view, relations with Russia

«He [European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker] uses this opportunity to [visit to the St. Petersburg economic forum] to convey to the Russian leadership, as well as a wider audience of EU views on the current state of relations between Russia and the European Union “, – said the representative of the European Commission (quoted by Reuters)

The fact that Juncker has accepted the invitation of the Russian authorities to visit the St. Petersburg economic forum, the representative of the European Commission told Reuters on May 30.. She noted that the Commission President will arrive in St. Petersburg on June 16.

At the same time, the EC spokesman Alexander Winterstein told the news agency “Interfax” that “the chairman has not yet made a final decision.” “Now he is in a journey, and we, of course, announce its decision before this event”, – said, in particular, Winterstein.

Earlier, in April, the source RBC European diplomacy informed that Brussels is seriously considering the possibility of a visit to Russia on Juncker SPIEF.

Forum in St. Petersburg will be held a week before the referendum on the withdrawal of Great Britain from the EU, which is for the most serious challenge to the European Commission. Likely Juncker’s visit to Russia in these circumstances would be rather formal, diplomatic source said RBC.

St Petersburg Economic Forum will be held from 16 to 18 June. According Roskongressa, their participation in the event have confirmed about 3.5 thousand people (as of April 28), about 50% of the participants -. Foreigners. SPIEF main agenda this year will be “directed outward,” sources told RBC. As explained by a senior federal official, President Vladimir Putin wanted to “send foreign participants signal” that Russia had seriously as a result of action of external forces, and the situation on the financial markets, but managed to survive and sooner or later begin to rise, and foreign business, which Now come back, get more dividends, making it earlier than others.

earlier, RBC a source close to one of the members of the organizing committee of the SPIEF, said that “political star” of the forum this year will be Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi. Sam Renzi said in February that he intends to visit St. Petersburg in June, at the invitation of the Russian president.