Business leaders representing five countries from Eastern Europe and the independent states of the former Soviet Union, together with businessmen from several western U.S. states, will join representatives from the U.S. Department of Commerce on campus this weekend for workshops on bringing American businesses to the economically developing countries.

The Ninth Annual Commonwealth of Independent States & Eastern Europe Business Forum, hosted by the Russian and Slavic Languages department, will kick off at 7:30 p.m. today in McClelland Hall, Room 208.

"It is a great event," said senior lecturer in Russian Roza Simkhovich, who is also the symposium's coordinator. "In time, it became internationally renowned."

Armenia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Hungary and the Czech Republic will each have representatives at the conference, which will focus on helping American business people in that part of the world, Simkhovich said.

Russia and other members of the CIS have been more receptive to foreign capital, Simkhovich said, which was not the case when the Soviet Union first collapsed in 1991.

"It is easier (to do business) right now because of political stability," Simkhovich said. "Businesses, which were quite criminal for a while, are trying to be legitimate.

"(Russia) is trying to be comparable with the rest of the world. A lot of

its legislation is similar to what we have here."

That was not the case in the early 1990s, when Simkhovich said many foreign businesses failed in the former Soviet states because they did not understand the people of the area or their culture.

"(The forum) combines an educational feature, and obviously a very practical one that will really help people," she added.

A registration fee of $125 is required for non-students, while full-time students receive a discount price of $25.

Registration for the forum will begin at 8 a.m. Saturday, when President Pete Likins is scheduled to open the conference, said Russian and Slavic Languages department head George Gutsche.

Seven different sessions, each lasting an hour, will take place throughout the weekend, in which guest lecturers will focus on such topics as the political and economic scene in Eastern Europe and the CIS, as well as the U.S. government's support of American businesses that move to the countries.

"It is a chance to provide information to students and faculty · about business opportunities in Russia and Eastern Europe," Gutche said. "And there is also a chance for everyone to network."

For more information, call Roza Simkhovich at 621-7341.