manangawa, dear guests, friends, ladies and gentlemen, i am very pleased to welcome you all to the twenty-seventh st. petersburg international economic forum. this year, over 19 thousand people from more than a hundred countries around the world became its participants and guests. these are shareholders and leaders of leading companies, recognized. experts and analysts, political, public, government figures. traditionally, the forum in st. petersburg provides an opportunity not only to establish business contacts, agree on cooperation or launch promising projects, but in an open discussion to exchange views on current trends in global and regional markets, through the prism of economic relations, to look at the processes that are developing dynamically in the modern world. we see how a real race has emerged between countries to strengthen their sovereignty, and at three key levels: state, value-cultural and economic. at the same time, the country, which until recently was the leader of global development, is trying with all its might, by hook or by crook, to maintain its elusive role as hegemon.