We are pleased to announce that after our grand tour of Central Asia (Almaty) and the Caucuses (Yerevan), CIS Forum is returning to Ukraine, but this time with a twist: our Program will start in Ukraine's splendid capital, Kiev, and will finish in the "Pearl of the Black Sea", Odessa.   Please save the dates of 26-29 June 2013 for the 8th CIS Forum. The registration will start in the beginning of April 2013 and will end promptly in mid-May 2013, but at this time we would like to provide you with important logistical information.

The Forum will start in Kiev on 26 June 2013 at 3 PM with the traditional CIS law firms meeting, followed by the Welcome Reception at the spectacular terrace overlooking the golden domes of Kiev.  On 27 June 2013, we will spend a full working day in Kiev followed by Gala Dinner.  On 28 June 2013, we will spend a morning in Kiev and then will take a flight to Odessa.  We will organize the Kiev-Odessa fight and all transfers.  In Odessa, the official Forum Program is scheduled for 28-29 June 2013, and on 30 June 2013 we will offer an optional half-day tour to a beautiful vineyard with lunch on location.  The Forum is conducted in English and Russian with the simultaneous Russian-English translation.

We have secured excellent deals with best hotels for you: cool and elegant Hyatt Regency in Kiev and festive Bristol Hotel in Odessa.  Both hotels are centrally located and are famous for their impeccable service.  The special hotel reservation forms for our Delegates are at http://www.rulg.com/cisforum/preregistration.asp Please make your room reservations as soon as possible because we will be holding the Forum in high season in both cities and the rooms will be provided on the first-come first-serve basis.

Please make your travel arrangements to arrive in Kiev at anytime prior to the afternoon of 26 June 2013, checking out from Hyatt Regency on 28 June 2013 to travel to Odessa.  The transfer to Odessa will be organized, so your reservation with Bristol Hotel there should start on 28 June 2013.  We hope you will stay with us through 30 June 2013 (to catch the optional tour on 30 June 2013).   We will not be making any arrangements for the return flights from Odessa to Kiev because there are several international non-stop flights available from Odessa to a number European cities and to Moscow, as well as to Istanbul.  There are also several daily flights back to Kiev.   If you need assistance with the tickets, please contact Sofia Kotusenko at Travel Company Zagorye http://www.zagorye.ua/, phone: +38-044-465-9389, email Sofia.k@zagorye.ua

If you need a visa to travel to Ukraine, we will post information on the Forum Web site at the time of registration and will help you with the visa arrangements.  Citizens of EU countries, USA, Canada and most CIS countries do not need a visa.

Last year we started a social initiative of the Forum supporting one of the leading ocean conservation organizations, the Sylvia Earle Alliance (SEA) / Mission Blue: http://mission-blue.org/ and had a special feature in honor of the World Oceans Day.  We are very grateful to the Delegates who supported this cause and we honored them by creating a special page on our Web site, Environmental Hall of Fame: http://www.rulg.com/cisforum/hall_of_fame.asp. This year our social cause is the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine in Kiev and the Odessa Philharmonic Orchestra, and we hope for your support of these wonderful musicians!

The Forum is the main platform in the CIS economic region for wide-scale gathering of the leading business lawyers.  It is held annually in the different cities of the region chosen by the Delegates.  From the first Forum in Kiev in June 2006, the CIS Forum has evolved into an informal network of managing and senior partners of national law firms from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan, bringing them together with partners from international law firms from around the world. 

Information on the 8th CIS Forum will be posted as preparations progress and registration will be carried out promptly in the beginning of April 2013 at: http://rulg.com/cisforum

We look forward to seeing you in Kiev and Odessa!