BARENTS INFORMATION CENTRE

Arkhangelsk

Newsletter #39, October 2000

 To our readers:

 

Dear Friends,

we apologize for so long pause with our newsletters. All recent months we had a tough time being engaged in a number of projects developing on the territory of Arkhangelsk region. We really did not have a possibility to make an overview of our local mass-media in time. But today, when the first snow appeared again on the streets of Arkhangelsk, we are happy to present this newsletter containing main events happened here for all summer and first two months of autumn. We hope that we did not miss anything and you will get more or less clear picture of the life of our land for all this time.

Yours,

Andrey Shalyov, Barents Information Centre, Arkhangelsk

Political Life

*   Results of Russian Prime-Minister Mikhanil Kasjanov visit to Oslo showed that Russia and Norway can become partners on the European gas market. Kasjanov said in Oslo that Norway and Russia are competitors in the short-term perspective but partners in the global understanding of European gas market stability. Russian Prime-Minister assured Stoltenberg that Russia will not make hasty steps without consultations with Norway like throwing of additional big volumes of gas to the European market to lower down the prices. After visit to Norway Kasjanov looked very satisfied though no principal decisions in the most critical problem of our relations - sharing of the schelf- were not made there. ("Expert", #38/2000) 

*   The Governor Anatoly Efremov fired the chairman of the regional government Nikolai Malakov. The reason of this decision as it was officially revealed is the continuing problems with energy supply.  At the same time Efremov  decided to establish in the regional administration a new department of energetic. Later Nikolai Malakov announced that he would participate in the governor's elections which are held on December 3 this year. Obviously, Efremov and Malakov will be the main candidates in the coming campaign. Efremov also appealed to the mayors of Arkhangelsk and Severodvinsk to leave their position because they were not able to solve the acute problems of these cities. Pavel Balakshin, the Mayor of Arkhangelsk has replied in mass-media that he is not going to take part in the next Mayor's elections but he can not accept the Governor's claims. Today the regional election commission registered 3 candidates for the Governor, 4 candidates for the Mayor of Arkhangelsk and 7 - for the Mayor of Severodvinsk. 

*   Anatoly Efremov and the chairman of the Russian Fund of Culture Nikita Mikhalkov  visited Solovki islands. During the visit the governor said that Solovki should stay under the constant care of the regional authorities. He promised that reconstruction of the take-off strip on Solovki will be finished in October. In November this year a new satellite phone line should be installed on the islands. Nikita Mikhalkov offered to work out a special program for Solovki development in the Fund of Culture.  

*   Arkhangelsk city administration opened an official Web-site where one can find information about daily work of the Mayor's office and the city Council, local legislation, Arkhangelsk news etc. You may find it at: http://www.Arhcity.ru 

*   The Centre for rendering environmental services was opened in the regional Environmental Committee. The Centre has already arranged a number of courses and seminars for the employees of industrial enterprises. One of its objectives is to work out a regional classification catalogue of industrial wastes, a regional directory of the wastes storage, a data base of wastes and technologies of its use and utilization.  

Economy

*   Moscow magazine «Expert» #41/2000 revealed annual rating of the Russian regions by investments attractiveness for 1999/2000. Arkhangelsk oblast took the 43rd  position in this rating while in 1998/1999 it was the 51st, in 1997/1998 - 47th, , 1996/1997 - 37th  among 89 regions of Russia. Murmansk oblast is on the 26th position (1996-36th, 1997-23rd , 1998 - 28th , 1999 - 31st ). Karelia is on the 59th place (in 1996 - 52nd, 1997-49th ,  1998 - 64th, 1999 - 62nd). Practically all regions of the European Russian North improved their positions in the rating this year. See diagram below.

 

Rating of Investments Potential of the Russian Regions.

 

*   The incomes of the regional budget from the timber manufacturing industry could be twice higher, said the general director of the regional department of the timber industrial complex Alexander Bulatov. Now this sector gives 70% of all export of the oblast.  

*   Arkhangelsk authorities take all efforts to revive the Northern Sea Route. In 1999 Lomonosov's Readings were exclusively devoted to this problem. Anatoly Efremov took part in the international conference in Oslo last year. In July 1999 another conference on the problems of development of the NSR was held in Arkhangelsk. In August the complex scientific expedition "NSR-Arctic 2000" started from Arkhangelsk on the ship "Mikhail Somov". In the course of three weeks the vessel passed the way of 3172 miles to Tiksi and came back to Arkhangelsk. All arrangements regarding the expedition including financial support were made by the oblast administration. The way from Europe to Japan by the NSR is 40% shorter. But to make the NSR profitable it is necessary to transport more than 6 million of cargoes along it. This year the volume of transportation here will make 1,5-2 million tons.

*   The volume of industrial production for 6 months 2000 in Arkhangelsk oblast made 131,7% to the level of the same period in 1999. Agricultural production raised by  4%. Volume of investments in the main capital made 127 %. Foreign trade turnover has raised by 87% and made $385 million. 

*   ALROSA company from Jakutiya accumulated 40% of shares in the joint stock company “Severalmaz”, a license holder of Lomonosov's diamonds deposit which is close to Arkhangelsk. ALROSA bought 27% of shares from De Beers  company and became the main investor in the diamonds deposits development. In summer 2000 the company announced its plans to invest $3 million into the project in 2000 and $7 million in the year 2001. It is planned that the diamonds extraction will reach its full-scale in 2005. The project promises to double incomes of the regional budget.

*   The delegation of the Federal Ministry of communications and Ministry of transport visited Arkhangelsk in order to study possibilities for development and improvement of the seaport. The ministerial commission should make a decision to use Arkhangelsk sea port for transportation oil products from the central Russia, metal products from the south of Russia, chemical products from Bashkiria, containers cargoes from Japan, Mongolia, Iran to the Northern Europe. 

*   Solombala pulp-and-paper plant, Arkhangelsk, was awarded a diploma as the best export company of Russia. 

*    The general director of “Komservfish” company said that new trawlers produced at “Zvezdochka” plant and equipped in Norway mean a revolution in the fishing industry of Arkhangelsk oblast. The company now possesess 4 ships working in the Barents sea and one in the Norwegian sea. In 1999 the trawl fleet caught 4,5 thousand tons of fish. In 2000 the catch will made more than 10 000 tons. This year the company together with city authorities established a new fish manufacturing plant in Arkhangelsk.

*   The regional authorities approved the program of development of AVL (Arkhangelsk Air Lines) company. The program includes renovation of 6 aircrafts owned by the company now, purchase of 3 modernized Tu-134 and 3 new aircrafts. It is possible that the company will additionally lease 3 aircraft (ATR or Fokker).

Society

*   60  children were adopted by foreign citizens in 1999. 37 of them went to the USA, 17 - to Italy, 16 - to New Zealand, 3 - to France, 2 - to Greece. After 6 months of this year 18 orphans were adopted by foreign families. Totally in the last 7 years 381 children from Arkhangelsk got parents from abroad. Russian families adopted 80 orphans in 1999.  

*   The average salary in Arkhangelsk oblast for the 6 months of 2000 constituted 2 532 rubles ($90) per month. It is 60% more than in the same period last year. 

*   More than 2600 new students entered Arkhangelsk universities this summer. Pomor university enrolled 1300 students, Technical university – 875 and Arkhangelsk medical University – 430. Arkhangelsk State Technical University established the Institute of Oil and Gas on the basis of the former faculty  of oil and gas. At the same time the Pomor University is working on establishing of the department of geology together with Moscow State University. In May the students of oil engineering got their diplomas at the Pomor University. This project continued for 5 years and 130 specialists have been trained during this time. Arkhangelsk State Medical Academy is renamed to the Northern State Medical University. This year the Medical University opened two new faculties: Pharmaceutical and Ecological. 

International cooperation

*   A mission of the Trade office of the General Consulate of USA worked in Arkhangelsk at the end of May. It involved experts of the Consulate and representatives of American companies - producers of timber falling machines: Caterpillar, Minitex, Intersol Rand, Woodmizer, Globals Edge. 

*   A delegation of the Nordic Council of Ministers visited Arkhangelsk in June. 12 representatives of Nordic countries discussed problems of children, family, infectious diseases. They visited the Centre of Sanitary inspection, the City maternity home, Children’s clinical hospital.

*   NOK 280 000 have been allocated by Troms Fylkeskommune and Barents Secretariat for the project "Complex Development of Solovki Islands". The leaders of the project Roald Rokeberg and Rune Raffaelsen visited Solovki in August. They had meetings with the head of local administration, director of museum, Bishop of the monastery and discussed prospects of the project development for the future. During the visit the project working group was formed. It consists of representatives of the Barents Secretariat and Troms Fylkeskommune, local and regional administrations, Barents Information Centre in Arkhangelsk, Solovki museum and monastery. Next meeting of the working group is planned to be held in May-June 2001.Due to the project allocations this summer it was possible to make a renovation in the local school, kindergarten and hospital, to buy equipment for computer class and local network in school, copy machine for the art school and medicines and medical equipment for the hospital. Next year the efforts will be concentrated on the problems of energy, sewage system and clean water supply on Solovki islands. 

*   Thor Heyerdahl, a famous Norwegian traveler, visited Arkhangelsk to take part in the XI Congress of the Russian Geographical Society. He presented a new idea about the origin of Nordic tribes and their relations to the southern part of Europe. Dr. Heyerdahl visited a number of cultural and research institutions in Arkhangelsk, Pomor-Norwegian Centre and the Barents Information Centre.

*   Norwegian Institute for prevention of infectious disease supplied 26 000 vaccines against German measles to Arkhangelsk. The vaccines will be inoculated to the girls of 12-14 years. The level of this disease in Arkhangelsk oblast is three times higher than in average in Russia.

*   Professor Herbert Zikfeldt from Kiel University, delivered a seminar on multimedia in higher education for the universities of Arkhangelsk. This is already the second seminar arranged by Dr. Zikfeldt together with the faculty of social work of the Pomor university and Barents Information centre. 

*   International scientific conference "War in the Arctic. 1939-1945" took place in Arkhangelsk in September. It was participated by 40 historians from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Arkhangelsk, Severodvinsk and also from Germany, USA, Sweden, Norway, Great Britain and France. The General Consul of Germany Hans-Johan Schmidt was the guest of the conference. Two exhibitions were arranged in the conference framework. The guests of the conference applied to the governors of Arkhangelsk and Murmansk oblast to set up in 2001 a celebration of the 60th anniversary of the first allied convoy in Arkhangelsk. 

*   More than 100 guests from Austria, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Japan, Netherlands and Finland took part in the conference "Problems of mechanisms of fulfillment of UN Framework Convention on global climate change in the energy sphere. The Role of Russian Regions" was held in Arkhangelsk on September 4-6. The Conference participants showed an interest to cooperate for the reduction of emissions of greenhouse gases, development of business relations between participating countries. The participants suggested to establish a Working Group on joint Implementation Projects under the Barents Senior Officials Committee and the BEAR Council. From the Russian side it was suggested that Arkhangelsk oblast could be a pilot region for Joint Implementation Projects based on development of  energy and environmental sectors in the region. 

*   A complex for utilization of nuclear wastes was opened in Severodvinsk. The specialists of the regional environmental committee evaluated it as the best one of this kind in Europe. The complex will be used to utilize nuclear wastes of lower activity from the nuclear submarines. Specialists from the USA, Japan, France, Belgium, Norway took part in its construction. It is equipped by the modern radio-chemical and radio-metrological laboratory.  

*   A delegation of general consuls of Denmark, Sweden, Norway, USA, Hungary, Czech Republic and China visited Arkhangelsk in the middle of September. Regional authorities arranged for them a presentation of Arkhangelsk oblast and visits to the places of interest of our city. 

* A group of workers of the Confederation of Trade Unions from Norland fylkeskommune delivered a seminar "Trade Unions Movement in Russia and Norway. Functions and Structure"  for the activists of trade unions in Severodvinsk.  

*   Preliminary results of 1-year work of the Russian-Finnish project "Sustainable Development of Forests Use in Kargopol District" were discussed at the seminar held in September in Kargopol. Government of Finland supplied modern equipment for timber falling and transportation and helped in introducing new technologies of forests growing. The project will be continued in 2001.  

*   International Conference "Istoki: 2000 years of Christianity" was held in Arkhangelsk in September. This Conference was one of the events in the 7-years history of Russian-Scandinavian cooperation in religious and cultural studies. The main partners in this project are professors of Pomor University Nikolai Terebikhin and Evgeny Arinin and their colleagues Roald Christianse, Tromso University and Sigurd Bergman, University of Trondheim. Their cooperation has already resulted in a number of joint seminars, conferences, educational programmes for university students. For its implementation Barents Secretariat allocated grants in 1998, 1999 and 2000. By May 2001 when the meeting of BEAR Church Council will take place in Arkhangelsk the project partners are going to publish the text book for schools.  

*   The seminar of Northern Dimension Universities took place in Arkhangelsk in August 23-25. It gathered 14 researchers and teachers from Umea, Lulea, Bodo, Vaasa Oulu  and representatives of Arkhangelsk Technical university, Pomor University, Medical University. The seminar participants discussed possibilities for cooperation in such fields as accountability, international harmonization and transition economies, environmental issues, SMEs and management. The seminar participants decided to work out a number of joint projects like establishing of a network of young researchers, joint elaboration of educational courses in accounting, a conference of young researchers in environmental issues next summer in Arkhangelsk. The projects will be prepared by joint application groups and send to the EU financial foundations, Nordic Council of Ministers, NORFA and Barents Secretariat. 

*   Arild Djupvik and Anne Engan, coordinators of the Barents Plus Junior, Nordland Fylkeskommune, paid a visit to Arkhangelsk in September. The purpose of their visit was to study current situation with the project development and to improve its coordination in Arkhangelsk. Within this project in September two Norwegian students started their studies of the Russian language and culture in schools #3 and 21 in Arkhangelsk. Two students from our city are now studying in Northern Norway. During the visit of Mr.Djupvik and Ms. Engan an agreement on cooperation between Department of Education of the Regional Administration and Barents Information Centre was worked out.

  *   Kari Nenonen, Mayor of Oulu city, visited Arkhangelsk in October. He had meetings with the Mayor of Arkhangelsk Pavel Balakshin and discussed prospects of cooperation within the twin-cities agreement. In particular, the project of cooperation between construction companies of Arkhangelsk and Oulu has been discussed. This joint project will be financed by the European bank. 

*   International seminar for customs officers from Norrbotten and Arkhangelsk oblast took place in Arkhangelsk in October. The seminar was financed by SIDA with total allocations of SEK 317 000. The Swedish partners presented their experience in the use of information technologies in the daily work of the customs offices in Lulea and Happaranda and shared the experience in working out of the databases. 

*   Chief Forester of the Norrland Fulkeskommune Ornulf Kibsgaard visited Arkhangelsk oblast in order to learn about Russian experience in forest reproduction. He was impressed by simple technologies used by the Russian forests reproduction plants and the high quality of seedlings. Mr Kibsgaard offered to publish a joint book about the forestry sectors of Russia and Norway. 

*   9 projects from Arkhangelsk oblast got grants from Soros Foundation in the branch "Culture of the North". The total sum of the grants is more than $36 000. Last year 13 cultural projects from Arkhangelsk were supported by Soros. One Soros grant was given to the library of the Pomor State University for implementation of the project "Technology of development of full-text Russian language data bases in the electronic libraries". 

*   Arkhangelsk Centre for AIDS prevention received a grant from Soros foundation. The grant was allocated to implement a program of AIDS prevention among drug-abused teenagers. So far, nine AIDS- infected patients have been registered in Arkhangelsk oblast.

*   The Information bureau of INTAS was opened at the Arkhangelsk State Technical University. INTAS is an international association for cooperation with researchers from the former Soviet Union. It used EURO 30 million for realization of its main programmes  this year.  

*   The Barents Art School for gifted children got a grant from the Barents Secretariat for the project “Scandinavian Studies” which includes classes in the history, culture, arts of Norway, Sweden and Finland. In August a group of young violin players went to Tromso to take part in the seminar and give concerts.  

*   A meeting of coordinators of the Barents Region Youth Forum took place in Arkhangelsk between July 19 and 27. 18 coordinators were selected at the meeting of the leaders of the BEAR youth organizations in Oulu in March this year. The meeting was sponsored by the Nordic Council of Ministers and Arkhangelsk regional administration. The participants were the coordinators from Norway, Finland, Denmark, St. Petersburg, Murmansk, Karelia, Nenets okrug and Komi Republic.  

*   The project “Teaching of comparative law” at the Pomor State University has been evaluated by the EU commission. The partners of this  project are the universities of Finland, Sweden and Scotland. It is financed by the TEMPUS/TACIS and was started 3 years ago. The commission from Brussels recommended to prolong the project and to distribute its experience in other universities.

*   A delegation of managers of culture from Oulu, Finland, visited Arkhangelsk in August. 

*   Arkhangelsk painters Lidia Kolobova and Zinaida Shadrunova took part in the exhibition in Storforsen, Sweden in June. Each of the painters presented 5 pictures. 

*   Arkhangelsk Chamber Orchestra made a concert tour to Emden (Germany), Oulu and Kuhma, Pitea (Finland),  Kostomuksha (Karelia).  

*   A Swedish choreographer Osnat Opatowski-Walberg had 3-weeks rehearsal august session in Arkhangelsk. The dancers from Sweden, Finland and Russia, taking part in the Barents Dance Ensemble prepared a new ballet for children. In September-October the Barents Dance Ensemble made a tour around the cities of the Northern Sweden and Finland.