ST. PETERSBURG – Three high-profile international business events will coincide with this city's main summer attraction, the White Nights, during the first three weeks of June.

The Ninth International Banking Congress is the first event, scheduled June 7-10 at the Pribaltiiskaya hotel. It will be followed by the Fourth Economic Forum of the CIS countries (June 13-17) – expected to feature Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov – and the third National Realtors Congress, June 22-24.

This year's Banking Congress, considered a must by many CEOs and top managers of leading Russian and Western banking institutions, will focus on "Banks: Challenges of the new millennium," an official from the organizing committee said. He added that additional information may be found on event Website www.mbk2000.spb.ru.

The Economic Forum of the CIS countries is widely dubbed the "CIS Davos" – referring to the annual gathering of the world's business elite at the Swiss resort.

The forum will follow its usual format in bringing together prime ministers, chairmen of parliamentary committees and business elite from each of the 15 countries of the former U.S.S.R., plus representatives from more than 30 other foreign countries, according to Andrei Mazhorov of the organizing committee.

The theme of the event is "Strategy for the 21st Century: Constructive efforts for a secure development." But Mazhorov added that the forum could again become a sounding board for addressing the economic development of all the newly independent states of the former Soviet Union.

"People just can't help but say important things when speaking before such a group – heads of government, the Russian president and some very influential foreign guests," he said.

According to the organizing committee, Putin, Kasyanov and the speakers of both chambers of the Russian Parliament are due to attend the forum.

"Although we received the confirmation letter from Horst Koehler [new IMF director] while he was still head of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, there remains a strong possibility that he will come [despite his change of jobs]," said Mazhorov.

The president of the city's Association of Industrial Enterprises, Vakhtang Koveshnikov, who plans to attend some of the forum workshops, said that along with the official business program, the event usually features cultural events as well, such as a White Nights boat tour along the Neva River. The White Nights take place during the first three weeks of June, when daylight lasts as long as 22 hours a day.

Mazhorov would not disclose the cost of organizing such an event, saying only that it was the responsibility of a special foundation, which he declined to describe further.

Moscow-based company Russian Gold, an operator of several street markets, boutiques and model agencies headed by flamboyant businessman Alexander Tarantsev, was the general sponsor of last year's event, attended by then head of the IMF Michel Camdessus. Additional information on this year's event can be found at Websites www.ecoforum.spb.ru and www.council.gov.ru.

The high-profile lineup concludes with the Third National Realtors Congress at the House of International Friendship on the Fontanka Embankment.

Andrei Gusev, president of the Russian Guild of Realtors (RGR), said that the growing interest in St. Petersburg from Moscow-based and international real estate companies was an important factor in why RGR, the industry lobbying group, agreed to let the congress take place in St. Petersburg instead of the usual host city, Moscow.

"The St. Petersburg real estate market is one of the most advanced in Russia," Gusev said.

"The city has quite a few innovations in the way it manages issues of the market that are well worth showing to real estate people from other regions."

The Congress' official Website is www.peterburgstroy.spb.rugr.