Sochi, Russia, August 16, 2006 – Sochi’s bid to host the 2014 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games will be strengthened as the city welcomes regional leaders to the Summit of the Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEc) today.

The summit underscores that Sochi’s proximity to both Europe and Asia makes it an ideal location for events involving nations on multiple continents, highlighting its potential as host for a major international celebration and enhancing the Sochi 2014 Bid.

As part of the EurAsEc summit, the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Armenia will gather in Sochi for two days to discuss economic cooperation and trade.

Sochi 2014 CEO Dmitry Chernyshenko said: “Sochi 2014 welcomes the fact that our city is gaining credentials as a centre of regional politics and diplomacy.  Sochi is becoming more visible on the international scene not only because the city is uniquely located as the gateway between Europe and Asia, but also because we have the right accommodation, infrastructure and security to host such high-profile diplomatic events”.

“As part of the approved $11.7 billion Federal development programme for the Sochi region, we will continue to develop new infrastructure and other facilities necessary to allow our city to host the biggest international event of all time – the Olympic Games.  Today, as the EurAsEc Summit commences, we welcome the chance to demonstrate that we are ready to take on that task, and that we have the expertise and local knowledge necessary to deliver on the promises we made to the Olympic Family and make the successful Sochi 2014 Games a reality.”

For further information, please contact:
Sochi 2014 Bid Committee – Andrey Braginski
media@sochi2014.com – tel: +7 495 7394649