The Minister of Foreign Trade and Development of Finland Paula Lehtomaki
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The Minister of Foreign Trade and Development of Finland Paula Lehtomaki has arrived with the official visit to Kostomuksha where she has discussed aspects of adjacent cooperation between Karelia and Finland with the Head of the Republic of Karelia Sergey Katanandov.
The 30-year-old Paula Ilona Lehtomaki is the youngest minister in the government of Finland. She is an economist, worked as a teacher, for the first time she was elected in the parliament of Finland in 1999 from the party of the centre. Ms. Lehtomaki is a member of the Finnish delegation in the Council of Europe, since 2000 she is a member of the board of the " Finland - Russia " society. She speaks Swedish, English and Russian, is fond of sports. As the Finnish Minister considers, development of bilateral cooperation with Russia as well as contacts within the framework of Northern Dimension program remain one of the priority directions in the foreign policy of Finland. She has often declared it to journalists.
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Aspects of cooperation in the sphere of power engineering, environment protection, cooperation in the field of timber industry, development of check points on the border with Finland, and also programs of the Eurounion implemented in the region are in the centre of attention during present negotiations in Kostomuksha. Paula Lehtomaki and Sergey Katanandov have discussed in detail prospects of development of the new program of the Eurounion Good Neighbourhood (that united existing programs TACIS and Interreg) and programs Good Neighbourhood of Euroregion Karelia. The total amount of financing of the planned new programs of the Eurounion within the framework of the Wide Europe - New Neighbourhood project in the territory of the Russian Federation will make about 20 million euros since 2004 till 2006. Cooperation of the twin-cities Kuhmo and Kostomuksha was discussed also. As the Head of Karelia considers, the new strategy directed on transition from the help to the Russian frontier regions to partnership with the countries of the EU, will help Karelia as well.
Today frontier cooperation with Finland involves the most different levels. Universities, other establishments of education, science and culture cooperate, mutually advantageous cooperation of enterprises, projects in public health services, agriculture, social protection, preservation of the environment develop. Finland remains the basic trading partner of the enterprises of Karelia. The foreign trade turnover with Finland for the period from 2000 till 2003 made in different years up to 36 percents from total amount of foreign turnover, and within this period steady growth of volumes of trade is observed. In 2003 the gain of volume of foreign trade with Finland has made $67,9 million or 26,6 percents, having achieved the level of $323,5 million. In the first six months of this year growth has already exceeded the level of the previous year making 26,2 percents and in six months having achieved the level of $192,5 million. In this volume export from Karelia to Finland which also tends to growth prevails. Maximal for last four years volume of supply from our republic that has made more than $231 million was achieved in 2003, this year it has also increased having provided on the results of the six-month-period a 10,6 percent increase. Basically, this is increase of deliveries of saw-timber, paper, cardboard and equipment. Today more than 90 percents of raw forest products exported by the republic, about 10 percents of all newprint is delivered from Karelia to Finland. In turn, Karelia imports from Finland industrial and electric equipment, vehicles, paper, cardboard, production of ferrous metallurgy, consumer goods.
In agriculture Karelia and Finland in common implement dozens of mutually advantageous projects. In the opinion of the Head of Karelia as this cooperation is now financed on the basis of 'fifty-fifty' principle, it is possible to speak with confidence that "for a long time we stand on the position of partnership." As Sergey Katanandov has emphasized, "we are still interested in development of this kind of cooperation." The Karelian party considers, for example, agriculture, increase of the living standard in rural areas, maintenance of employment of countrymen, development of private enterprises on the basis of the Finnish experience, assistance to forage production and vegetable growing development, introduction of new highly effective technologies as priorities in this cooperation. These priorities are supposed to be discussed further on September, 7 in Helsinki during the Karelian-Finnish intergovernmental subgroup on adjacent cooperation session.
The governor of the Finnish province of Oulu Eino Siuruainen, heads of the Consulate General of Finland in Saint Petersburg also participate in the visit from the Finnish party. The delegation from Finland will stay in Karelia within two days. The schedule inludes visiting Karelsky Okatysh (Karelian Iron-Ore Pellets) Open Society, Open Company Karhakos Open Society, the Centre of rehabilitation of handicapped children Rodnik, meeting with the management of Kostomuksha state natural reserve, dialogue with local press.
Andrey Raevā
Photo by Alexander Smirnov
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