The Meeting of the G8 Finance Ministers to be Held in Saint-Petersburg
ST. PETERSBURG, May 25, 2006 – Rosbalt - The meeting of the Group of Eight finance ministers would be held on June 8-10, 2006, in Saint Petersburg, Russia’s Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin said speaking at the Forum of Government Borrowers in Konstantinovsky Palace in the Northern Capital.

According to the minister, the preparation to the meeting is in full operation, informs Rosbalt. Among other issues, the ministers will consider the global oil markets development, energy security, and the problems of reducing poverty, including creation of energy infrastructure in poor countries.

The problems of controlling epidemics will be also in the focus of discussion at the meeting. Kudrin explained that the problem of bird flu spread became more and more urgent and implied financial and economic risks that could affect the whole industries of many countries and result in these countries’ general economic downturn.

Besides, the ministers will focus on the issues of education, including people’s financial literacy in the sphere of lending and tax payments. This is supposed to stimulate Russia’s financial market development.

The problem of fighting against terrorism financing will be considered as well. The ministers will discuss the role of new donor countries in the global economy. Kudrin noted the forthcoming of a number of new donor nations, besides G8 countries, – China, India and oil producers. It is necessary to balance these nations’ potential with the needs of the world’s poorest countries, he emphasized.