The Yaroslavl political forum could become an iconic brand on a par with the Davos and St. Petersburg economic forums, Russia's Sberbank chief German Gref said on Thursday.

The forum "The Modern State: Standards of Democracy and Criteria of Efficiency" is being held on Thursday and Friday in Yaroslavl, 250 km northeast of Moscow, under the patronage of President Dmitry Medvedev.

"Such key venues as the Davos and St. Petersburg economic forums are a meeting place for the world business elite," he said during a video linkup organized by RIA Novosti as part of the Yaroslavl Global Policy Forum.

"Yaroslavl, still with a very short history of forums, has everything that is needed to create a brand - a world political forum."

The forum will run under four sections: the State as an Instrument of Technological Modernization; Democracy Standards and Diversified Democracy Experience; New Challenges and the Concept of International Law; and Regional Systems of Global Security.

The Yaroslavl forum is being held for the second time. Last year the event focused on global security and was attended by Medvedev, the French and Spanish premiers, Francois Fillon and Jose Rodriguez Zapatero, and more than 500 public figures, experts and business representatives from 20 countries.

YAROSLAVL/SHANGHAI, September 9 (RIA Novosti)