Oleg Deripaska did not attend the Economic Forum, which is held annually in Davos, in January 2019. Instead of a prestigious meeting, he went fishing, which he informed his subscribers on social networks.
World Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum is a Swiss non-governmental organization. It was created in 1971 and has become popular through the organization of annual meetings in Davos. Every year in late January or early February, leaders of states, prominent public figures, thinkers gather in Davos to discuss the most pressing issues and problems.
In 2019, the World Economic Forum was held from January 22 to 25. The main topic of the meeting was globalization and interaction between countries during the industrial revolution. The forum was supposed to be attended by Russian businessman Oleg Deripaska, but at the last moment he decided to cancel the trip.
Why Oleg Deripaska didn't go to the economic forum
Oleg Deripaska is a co-owner of UC Rusal and a very influential businessman. He is an active user of social networks. On January 21, 2019, the entrepreneur surprised his subscribers by publishing on his page a photo of a lake covered with ice and writing a comment: "Instead of Davos, he went to Baikal. Go fishing."
Oleg Deripaska is one of the few representatives of Russia who received an invitation to take part in this prestigious meeting. Many experts were waiting for him to appear at the forum, but the businessman canceled everything and presented it in such a way that he simply changed his mind and went to rest.
Some journalists accused Deripaska of frivolity, but political scientists have a different opinion on this matter. Several months ago, the organizers of the meeting, under pressure from the United States, opposed the participation of some representatives from Russia in the forum. We are talking about the owner of Renova, Viktor Vekselberg, co-owner of UC Rusal, Oleg Deripaska, and the head of VTB, Andrei Kostin.
Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said that representatives of Russian companies are ready to refuse to participate in the forum if the organizers do not change their decision. After that, there were diplomatic negotiations and the Minister of Economic Development of Russia convinced the organizers of the need to lift the restrictions.
On January 15, 2019, a list of all invitees was published and Deripaska's name appeared on it. The businessman has not yet given official comments on this matter, but people from his entourage assure that the decision to exchange the forum for fishing was made at the last moment.
Political Scientists' Comments
Political observers do not consider Deripaska's move to be frivolous. On the contrary, this is a rather wise and balanced decision. Most likely, he did not accept it on his own, but with the support of the top officials of the state.
Recently, Oleg Deripaska has been a strong irritant for the top leadership of the United States. Several high-profile scandals are associated with his name and it was not by chance that he got into the black list. Participation in the World Economic Forum is prestigious even for such large businessmen as Oleg Vladimirovich. It is unlikely that he would refuse to come to Davos without a reason. Without going to the forum, he decided to smooth out the tension in relations with the organizers and representatives of the United States. Moreover, the leader of the American state was unable to take part in the meeting.
Some political scientists have a different opinion on this matter. They are sure that by his behavior Deripaska showed resentment that sanctions were initially imposed against him. Having received permission to attend the forum, he refused the trip himself.
