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Trends and Forms of International Activities
The Government has determined the following overall trends along which the international
activity of the Republic of Karelia will develop in 1999-2002 and up to 2010:
- support to the social sector calling for assistance to the social protection and social welfare of
the most vulnerable population groups in the Republic of Karelia;
- assistance to assurance of the general security in regions of the North-West of Russia and the
Northern Europe at regional level;
- development of democratic institutes and management system;
- support to ecologically sustainable development.
Continued trends will be assistance to economic development of major industries of the
republic, including tourism, support to cultural and scientific relations.
Defining the strategy of Karelia’s international activity, the Government clearly
comprehends the extent of its impact on economic and non-economic sectors, the participation of
the Government, executive bodies and local authorities in regulation of the international activity
of Karelia in general and of individual participants.
As for the economic sector represented by specific entrepreneurs, international activity at
governmental level will be executed through the forms of organizational, technical, political, legal
and informational assistance, regardless to entrepreneurs’ forms of ownership. Not aiming at
interference into the economic activity of enterprises, the Government will assist to entrepreneurs,
who are oriented at both domestic and foreign markets, in finding foreign partners, preparation of
documents to be submitted to international financial institutes, negotiations, information exchange
on issues of trade and economic cooperation, organization of international events interesting for
enterprises.
Non-economic spheres, for the development of which the Republic of Karelia is
responsible, will require regulation from the Government’s side. This regulation will be connected
with attraction and distribution of additional funds from external (foreign) sources.
Karelian towns and districts will be developing sister relations independently, and the
Government will support projects touching upon republic’s interests.
Basic forms and trends of the bilateral cooperation with Finland:
- activities within "Karelia Euregion" project;
- Karelian-Finnish workshop within the framework of the Inter-Governmental Committee on
Cross-Border Cooperation between Russia and Finland;
- Advisory Committee of the Republic of Karelia and Eastern Finland;
- Sister relations of Karelian towns and districts with Finish partners.
"Karelia Euregion" project
The "Karelia Euregion" project is an initiative of the Government and supported by the
Communes’ Union of the Eastern Finland (Kajnuu, Northern Karelia, Northern Pohjanmaa) and
the Republic of Karelia that perfectly blends with the "Northern Dimension in EU Policy". The
aim of the project is to level standards of frontier infrastructure development in areas adjoining to
the Russian-Finnish border through external financing sources and, in the first place, European
Union. The initiative assumes a better development of trans-border economic, cultural and tourist
relations. The initiative is targeted at support to resolving ecological and social problems in cross-
border districts. In order to attach two EU’s programmes Tacis and Interreg, it is proposed to set
up a unified fund, which would include resources allocated through these programmes. Decisions
on funding projects from the unified fund will be done by the executive committee of the
Euregion consisting of representatives from Finnish Communes’ Unions, the Government of the
Republic of Karelia and watchdogs from the European Union.
Karelian-Finnish Workshop
Pursuant to the Russian-Finnish Treaty of January 20, 1992, and the Russian-Finnish Agreement
on Cross-Border Cooperation of January 20, 1992, workshops on cross-border cooperation were
formed by June 1992 in Russia and Finland. Four regions participate in this cooperation from
Russia’s side – St. Petersburg, Leningrad region, Republic of Karelia and Murmansk region. From
the Finnish side, until 1996, those were provinces bordering on Russia. In autumn 1997, the
membership from the Finnish side changed pursuant to the Strategy of Cooperation with
Neighboring Areas approved by the Government of Finland. Now the Finnish side is represented
by specialists from ministries, and governors and leaders of community unions act as experts.
One of the main practical tasks of the cooperation is to improve the mechanism of
selecting and implementing joint projects with funds from the Finnish budget and own money.
Projects are implemented either on only budgetary money or partially, with funds from
international financing institutes and member-companies. Contribution of the Republic of Karelia
lies in possible funding of a number of projects from local budgets and co-acting organizations.
In 1998, the parties approved of a comprehensive Adjoining Areas Cooperation
Development Programme for the period to 2001. The Programme’s priorities are environmental
protection, development of agriculture and forestry, improve in frontier infrastructure and
development of cross-border stations, development of transportation and telecommunications,
health care and social welfare, management development, and building up preconditions for trade
and economic cooperation.
Advisory Committee
The Advisory Committee on cooperation between communities of the Eastern Finland and the
Republic of Karelia is an advisory body consisting of councilors, mayors of towns, districts and
communities from both countries.
The Advisory Committee constitutes a forum of regional and local politicians who
promote ideas, project initiatives, exchange information on actual issues of cooperation. An
overall task of the Committee is to encourage progressive development of cooperation in
adjoining regions and put forward proposals on improving cooperation to the Governments,
Parliaments of Finland, Russian Federation and Republic of Karelia.
Sister relations
At the moment, towns and districts of the republic have sister relations with over 60 towns
and communities of Finland. Within sister relationship programmes not only settlements but also
educational and scientific institutions, hospitals, children’s homes, enterprises, etc. have partners
in Finland. Most part of humanitarian and technical assistance, student and specialist exchange
programmes are conducted under sister relationship. The task of the Government is to provide
support to these relations and most effectively use potential and opportunities of cooperation
among NGOs of the Republic of Karelia and Finland (friendship societies, Red Cross
organizations, youth’s, ecological, women’s and other organizations). Extension and
strengthening of agreement links with Communes’ Unions of the Eastern and Northern Finland is
seen prospective from the viewpoint of cooperation development with Finland.
Firstly, collaboration with Finland will ensure implementation of such international
activities as assistance to assurance of the general security (including issues of fighting with the
international crime, ensuring readiness to emergency cases and catastrophes), support to
ecologically sustainable development, introduction of modern agricultural technologies, tourism,
cultural cooperation.
Basic trends and forms of the international activity of the Republic of Karelia in the Northern Europe:
- multilateral regional cooperation under the Barents Euro-Arctic Council;
- participation in programmes of the Ministers’ Council of Nordic States and Nordic Council;
- participation in working structures of the Council of Baltic States;
Participation in the said organizations and programmes, by virtue of their specific, does
not, as a rule, imply getting investment resources for the production sector and, therefore,
cooperation will be oriented at drawing financial resources for such projects as:
- transfer of expertise on issues of strengthening and development of the system of local and
public administration in the Republic of Karelia;
- modern schemes of social security and social welfare (including issues of social insurance,
development of social agencies, improvement of the situation with the elderly);
- health care (including problems of the primary health care, maternity care, drug-addict
prevention);
- obtaining grants for students, scientists and schoolchildren exchange programs;
- development of mass media, including study stages and training for journalists;
- extension of cultural contacts;
- culture of the democracy implying training and informational programmes for non-
governmental and political organizations;
- improve in the national policy, situation with the indigenous peoples.
Alongside the cooperation within the framework of international regional organizations,
Karelia may strengthen its position through bilateral cooperation with regions of Scandinavian
countries.
Government’s task is to most efficiently use potential and opportunities of Norway and
Sweden, considering their role in European integration process.
Sweden, as a member-state of the EU, has an access to financial sources of the European
Union, and in 1999, Sweden pointed out the North-West of Russia as a priority of its cooperation
with Russia for the next three years (up to 2002), and this priority corresponds to the Baltic
political strategy of this country.
In addition to drawing and using funds of the EU, financing of projects with Karelia at
national level is channeling through the Province of Vesterbotten under the Swedish International
Development Agency and Swedish Institute.
Prioritized international development projects with Sweden are:
- issue of land survey and running a land register in the Republic of Karelia;
- training programmes and exchange of experience on issues of forming and developing the
labour market;
- running regional statistics;
- social sector;
- ecology (including issues of improving the water supply, water treatment and sewage, trans-
border currents, ecotourism);
- energy-saving and power efficiency;
- problems of effective forest use and reforestation;
- education and culture.
Norway, that does not belong on the EU, is interested in developing relations with Russia’s cross-
border areas for the purpose of providing Norway’s production sector with resources, tackling
environmental problems, obtaining political support to international initiatives, i. e. keeping its
own status in Europe.
These tasks are brought out in the foreign strategy of Norway, which calls for active
participation in implementation of the "Northern Dimension in the EU Policy" Strategy and,
therefore, development of the relationship with the North-West of Russia, including Karelia.
The most promising issues of cooperation with Norway are:
- technologies of fish-farming, fishing and processing of fish production;
- energy and ecology;
- social security of the population;
- cultural contacts;
- scientists and students exchange programmes.
What looks perspective in concern to cooperation development with regions of Norway
and Sweden is extension and strengthening of sister relations among towns and districts, and this
will allow to pull trough the whole range of different forms and types of cooperation, including
improve in the structure of local self-government, human contacts, study stages and qualification
increase for the working population, obtaining humanitarian assistance for social facilities and
individual population groups, running joint projects within EU’s programmes.
Naturally, in 1999-2002 such forms of cooperation with the European Union as
participation of the Republic of Karelia in general, its towns, districts, local authorities,
institutions and organizations in EU’s programmes, above all, Tacis Programme (Tacis/trans-
border cooperation, Tempus, sister cities, Bistro, Lien, etc.) will keep their prioritized value.
Funding may be granted in areas as follows:
- development of frontier infrastructure (within small Tacis projects/trans-border cooperation);
- social welfare and health care;
- issues of ecology, in particular development of National Parks;
- energy-saving and development of power resources;
- tourism development.
The republic will take part in implementation of the KASPNET (Karelian-Atlantic Spatial
Planning Network) Programme, which is funded by the Interreg-IIS Programme and aimed at
tourism development, environmental protection, infrastructure development of towns and
settlements situated along the Blue Road.
Another important task is to attach Tacis projects to the Interreg Programme, which is
being implemented in Finland, for more efficient use of finance.
It looks reasonable for the republic to further participate in the Assembly of European
Regions, to join the Association of Europe’s Cross-Border Regions.
The Government will make an emphasis on finding more international development
programmes which would stress technical and investment assistance to Russia both through
international organizations (UN and its organizations) and with the help of bilateral (interstate)
initiatives.
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