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Organizational and Technical, Political and Legal Support to Karelia’s Activity at
International Level
Ensuring conditions for the implementation of actions at international level with the
maximum benefit for the Republic of Karelia implies bending common efforts of the public
authorities, local authorities, enterprises and organizations of the republic, and realization of an
agreed policy at three levels: republican, inter-regional and federal.
In 1999-2002 at republican level it is expected:
1) to provide for forming a comprehensive computer-based database on participation of all
subjects of international development in projects and programmes together with foreign
partners.
Running a directory of projects and programmes being realized in the republic will help
determine areas of the economic and social sectors where international development will
guarantee the best effect, display the best forms of developing international cooperation for each
administrative unit of the republic and, therefore, concentrate available scarce resources on key
areas;
2) to form and start implementing a unified republican image programme intending to give clear
and comprehensive information on investment potential of the Karelia’s economy, its tourist,
cultural, technical and scientific opportunities to prospective partners outside Russia.
A long-term objective of the image programme is to form a vision about the republic and,
above all, about the city of Petrozavodsk as a place of large international and inter-regional events
of different levels (the so-called business tourism is able to make a good profit for organizations
engaged in servicing international events – hotel business, trade and catering organizations,
transport and other organizations. Consequently, this will bring more income to local and
republican budgets).
The image programme should be supported by an information and advertising campaign
oriented at foreign partners.
At inter-regional level, energies of the executive and legislative powers, local authorities should
be aimed at forming common vision of regions neighboring with Karelia on issues of international
cooperation. Seeking mutual interests, projects and programmes would allow to advocate joint
initiatives to the federal centre, to form common financing schemes of participation in
international development. This activity should be realized through participation of
representatives of the republic in parliamentary inter-regional associations and assemblies,
economic assistance associations, and inter-regional events at different levels.
Considering the available competition among regions, an accent should be placed on
projects which enable to integrate missing in some subjects of the Federation parts of the common
project scheme (for example, cross-border station/waterway/airport in Karelia for the benefit of
admission and reception of tourists for the northern regions; or availability of specialized research
and educational institutions for the benefit of running a specific sectoral project, etc.).
At federal level, over the planning period republican authorities should promote initiatives
targeted at political and legal support to activities at international level.
Among those initiatives there are:
- legalization of a privileged customs procedure on imported technological equipment;
- updating of the Russian-Finnish interstate agreement basis (border crossing procedures with a
view of developing tourism, cultural and sister-city relations, creation of frontier zones with a
special status, including trade and economic status, euregion formations, etc);
- delegation of additional authorities concerning distribution and use of collectable customs
duties and registration of humanitarian and technical assistance at the level of the Republic of
Karelia;
- forming cross-border cooperation concepts, cross-border trade, support to cross-border
regions;
- forming a clear position of the federal centre towards collaboration under Barents Euro-Arctic
Council, Baltic States Council and mechanisms of joint participation of the Federation and its
subjects in this collaboration;
- acceleration of the process of joining of the Russian Federation to the European (Madrid)
Framework Convection on Cross-Border Cooperation for Territorial Communities and
Authorities of May 21, 1980.
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