The Third Session of the Regional Cooperation Forum is organized in the framework of the annual Russian Economic and Financial Forum in Switzerland and as a follow-up to a series of conferences Transition to the Market Economy: New Challenges in Economic and Financial Sectors held in Geneva since 1994. Russian Economic and Financial Forum in Switzerland and Regional Cooperation Forum are the largest events organized in Europe in relation to the Russian economy and finance. Among leading participants of these conferences and forums were such well-known Russian personalities as the President of the USSR Mikhail GORBACHEV, Prime Ministers of Russia Viktor CHERNOMYRDIN, Sergey STEPASHIN, Sergey KIRIENKO and Viktor ZUBKOV, Chairman of the State Duma (Upper Chamber of the Russian Parliament) Gennady SELEZNEV, Deputy Prime Ministers of Russia Alexander ZHUKOV and Aleksey KUDRIN, chairmen of the Central Bank of Russia, ministers and deputy ministers of economic development and trade, finance, energy, taxation, social development and labour, governors of different Russian regions (oblast), Russian ambassadors in Switzerland, presidents of the Association of Russian Banks. Swiss delegations included Federal Councillor and Head of the Federal Department of Justice and Police Christoph BLOCHER, Federal Councillors and Heads of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs Joseph DEISS and Doris LEUTHARD, Chairman of the Governing Board of the Swiss National Bank Jean-Pierre ROTH, President of the Council of States Alain BERSET, Secretaries of State Franz von DÄNIKEN, Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, Jean-Daniel GERBER and David SYZ, State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, Charles KLEIBER and Mauro DELL’AMBROGIO, State Secretariat for Education and Research, Chairman of the Swiss Bankers Association Pierre MIRABAUD, Chairman of the Geneva Financial Center Foundation Ivan PICTET, mayors of Zurich, Geneva and Lugano as well as Swiss ambassadors in Russia, high level representatives of different federal departments, cantonal authorities and leading Swiss companies and banks. International organizations based in Switzerland were represented by the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva Sergey ORDZHONIKIDZE and Executive Secretaries of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. Delegates from Liechtenstein attending these meetings included Prime Ministers Markus BÜCHEL, Mario FRICK and Otmar HASLER, Chairman of the LGT Group Foundation H.S.H. Prince PHILIPP of LIECHTENSTEIN, Ambassador of Liechtenstein in Switzerland H.S.H. Prince STEFAN of LIECHTENSTEIN as well as other high-level government officials and politicians.

The Third Session of the Regional Cooperation Forum was included in the program of events organized in relation to the forthcoming visit of the Russian President Dmitri Medvedev in Switzerland. The Third Session will be held at the Hotel Intercontinental in Geneva on 28-29 June 2009. The Organizing Committee expects to welcome more than 200 delegates from Russia, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and other European countries. To get the full program of the forthcoming Forum and registration details, please see the Program.