Dear representatives of business community!

I address you on behalf of state authorities and citizens of Saint Petersburg. Our city’s historic mission is to become a leader of Russia’s modernization, a center of innovative ideas’ derivation and realization. This city’s history itself is a unique example of successful modernization. Peter the Great created our city not only as new capital. From the first years of its existence Saint Petersburg had been accumulating European and world advanced experience; it was natural bridge, connected Russia with Europe. The newest from European megalopolis for three centuries became a pearl of European and world culture. It’s enough to remind that UNESCO preserves the Saint Petersburg historic center as a very important object of the world cultural heritage. But first of all we ourselves must preserve Northern Capital for the next generations. I say “we” considering not only efforts of Petersburg authorities, specialists and enthusiasts. According to my deep convictions representatives of the large Russian business can and must become an active participants in this process. Because without business community’s assistance Saint Petersburg will not be able to cope with the task of nationally scale. I mean not only your charity. First of all I mean the participation of the large Russian business in the sphere of rising of Saint Petersburg economics. You know that Saint Petersburg not only one of the world centers of science, culture and education. It’s multifunctional center with a developed and in European kind differential economics structure. Its leading branches are industry, which gets more than a quarter of total regional product, and transport and communication services too. In total these factors form high and in many parts unique investment attractiveness of Saint Petersburg. I must say directly: we are determined to convert our potential and competition advantages into the real economic success.
First of all we’ll do it by creating the most favorable investment conditions. With this purpose we establish the system of the help of means by the state to the investment process. There are placing of objects of the real estate through the open tenders, tax privileges on property and profit, registration of created again juridical persons according to the principle “single window”, developing joint state and private partnership, anticorruption state order’s system among them. Saint Petersburg Government guarantees to the potential investors the creating conditions for the successful business activity in Northern Capital: rules’ transparency, administrative barriers’ low level, access to the procedure of getting permissions for the construction, land and natural resources. Those who will come to Petersburg, who will be registered, who will pay taxes for city’s budget, those in turn will get guarantees of effectiveness, stability, security of business and prospect. I will add: strategic prospect. That’s why I appeal to you: invest in Saint Petersburg, come to us with serious intentions and for a long time.”