The conference in Salzburg was agreed at a meeting of the Sochi Dialogue Coordination Committee in Sochi on May 15 in the presence of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Austrian President Alexander Van der Belen. Franz Schausberger, being a member of the Coordination Committee of the Sochi Dialogue, said that this meeting should give opportunities for strengthening cooperation between the regions of Russia and the federal states of Austria. The first conference  will take place within the framework of the 15th Conference of European Regions and Cities, such meetings could become an annual event of the Sochi Dialogue. Franz Schausberger pointed out that holding this event on the side of the European Regions and Cities is an award for the Institute of European Regions