Medvedev to attend 2nd World Political Forum in Yaroslavl.

YAROSLAVL, September 9 (Itar-Tass) -- The World Political Forum is
starting in Yaroslavl on Thursday, September 9.
For two days, its participants -- leading Russian and foreign
political scientists and politicians, businessmen and scientists - will
discuss the role of the modern state in security and stability.
This year's forum entitled "Modern State: Standards of Democracy,
Criteria of Efficiency" will be held under the patronage of President
Dmitry Medvedev, who is expected to address its participants on fry,
September 10. He will also attend a big roundtable discussion for
political scientists, some of whom are members of the Valdai Club.
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, South Korean President Lee
Myung-bak, other leading international statesmen and public figures will
attend the forum, including former Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama.
The forum will bring together around 450 Russian and foreign participants
and up to 500 members of the media.
Medvedev will have talks with the Italian and South Korean leaders
during the forum.
The participants in the forum will continue the discussion started in
Yaroslavl last year at a conference entitled "Modern State and Global
Security" when it was decided to make the forum a permanent event. In
2009, the forum focused on global security and was attended by Russian
President Dmitry Medvedev, French and Spanish premiers Francois Fillon and
Jose Rodriguez Zapatero and more than 500 public figures, experts and
business representatives from 20 countries.
While a year ago, the focus was on the global financial crisis, now
the emphasis will be placed on new challenges.
Four sections will work at the forum: "The state as an instrument of
technological modernisation", Standards of democracy and democratic
experience diversity", "New challenges and international law concepts",
and "Regional global security systems".
A European security treaty proposed by Medvedev will also be discussed
at the inter-section and plenary meetings.
Igor Yurgens, Director of the Institute of Contemporary Development
(INSOR), will moderate global and regional, including European, security
discussions. He expects new foreign policy initiatives from the president,
who is the chairman of the INSOR Board of Trustees.
"We expect initiatives from our president, whose international
activities are beyond doubt match, if not exceed, his domestic
activities," Yurgens said.
-0-zak/