MOSCOW, May 29 (RIA Novosti) - The upcoming economic forum in St. Petersburg could help make Russia a global financial center, giving it a role in modernizing the global economic system, a senior Russian lawmaker said on Friday.

The June 4-6 forum will be devoted to urgent global development issues. It will be divided into two parts, covering economic and financial areas, and involve more than 2,000 participants.

The speaker of the lower house of the Russian parliament, Boris Gryzlov, said that one day of the forum would be fully devoted to financial issues.

“This is not just a reaction to the global crisis,” Gryzlov said. “The most important task for us here is to search for solutions to create a financial center in Russia.”

The lawmaker said that making Russia a global financial center will strengthen the national currency, attract additional capital inflow, and benefit Russian financial structures.