Murmansk: today there was held an opening ceremony of the 11th fishery exhibition Sea. Resources. Technologies.

The exhibition this year is a meeting place for over 70 enterprises from Russia, Norway, Finland, Germany and Poland.

The exhibition displays ship equipment, navigation devices, fishery processing equipment, fish technologies and fish itself.

At the same time, Murmansk started a scientific conference on Nature of Sea Arctic: challenges and the role of science. The conference is dedicated to the 75th anniversary of Murmansk Sea Biological Institute.

Yesterday at the meeting of Norwegian-Russian Chamber of Commerce, Norwegian consul on commercial affairs expressed his confidence in Shtokman development.

We do not believe that Shtokman is dead, said Knut Mugaas. It is alive and kicking! SDAG is telling us and the others that production is on the plan as before, and many Norwegian companies are following this idea.

Presently, there are no Norwegian companies involved into the development of Murmansk transport hub project, said Yuri Chuikov, yet their participation is possible.

Yesterday, the head of the department on infrastructural development at the regional Ministry on Transport and Communication – Yuri Chuikov presented the project of Murmansk transport hub to the participants of the NRCC meeting.

The project implies 218,7 billion RUB of investments with a return period of 14 years. Late 2009, Russia introduced a number of amendments into the Federal Law on Port Zones opening the opportunities for investments into the Murmansk transport project. The updated law also makes amends with the local militaries that would allow the areas for constructions and works (except for the area at the North of Western coast of Kola Bay and Kolanga River which is to be discussed in the long-term prospect).

Talking to the audience, Chuikov said that there are currently no Norwegian companies taking part in the project, yet “why not to join”, he said.

Murmansk fishermen caught 118,1 thousand tons of fish within Jan 1 – March 9, 2010. Among those are 62,9 thousand tons of haddock and cod.

Jan 1 – March 9, Murmansk fishermen caught 118,100 tons of fish in Northern waters; the catch is a 36,800 tons increase comparing to the same period of 2009. The quota is covered 23,1%, informs mabnews.ru.

62,900 tons of the fish caught is cod and haddock, exceeding the results of the same 2009 period by 13,100 tons.

photo: wikimedia commons

Murmansk Governor and CEO of Total Research and Development-Russia discussed mutual interests of Murmansk and Total.

Today, Dmitry Dmitrienko and Pierre Nergaranian discussed the development process of the Shtokman project. The both are satisfied with the updated timeframes for Shtokman investment decision. Reportedly, the investment decision on gas extraction is expected in March-April 2011, the gas supplies would start in 2016, while the construction of the LNG plant is to be considered separately. This activity plan meets the interests of the Murmansk citizens, said Dmitrineko, and will open opportunities for gasification of the region in the foreseeable future, informs the press release of the regional Government.

Following the idea of Year of France in Russia initiated recently by the Russian President at the meeting with Sarcozy, Dmitrienko proposed to strengthen the cooperation between France and the Murmansk region. In particular, Total was offered to co-facilitate and take part in Murmansk Economic Forum this year; Dmitrienko invited the French partners to international Arctic cinema fest “Northern Lights” (end of May) and celebration of 100-year anniversary of the city (2016).

– We have several agreements with Russian companies that are willing to open sport complexes and business centres in Murmansk by 2016, said the Governor. The investors will remain the owners of the new profit-making facilities. We plan to change the face of Murmansk, to put a fresh impetus for its development by the date of the city anniversary. Our French partners might as well open a House of Russo-French friendship or some state-of-art cinema hall… Any other proposals are welcome. We are open for ideas and ready to help in their realization, underlined Dmitrienko.

Nordic Council of Ministers office in Latvia is looking for Nordic participants to the Nordic-Baltic Mobility Program for Enterprise and Industry.

Expand your collaboration network, get yourself new experiences and realize your ideas.

Who can apply?

Individuals and groups representing:
– Small and medium businesses.
– Participants from the innovative and creative companies
– Incubators and technology parks
– Government institutions working with industry
– Business organizations

Activities supported by the programme require participation of minimum three NB8 countries, of these at least one Nordic and one Baltic.

Application deadline: 31 March 2010.

The program is administered by the Nordic Council of Ministers’ Office in Latvia.

The program covers 70% of the cost of travel, accommodation and networking activities.

Ladies and Gentlemen!

I have the great pleasure to invite you – on behalf of the President – to the first official meeting of

The Murmansk Aquavit Club.

The meeting will take place on

Thursday, March 11 2010 at 8 o`clock PM (20.00) in the Club Ledokol (Icebreaker) in Park Inn Poliarnie Zori.

The member fee for the first meeting is RUB 1.200 and will be collected by the Aquavit Club`s not yet elected Security Manager.

The member fee includes:

– Welcome drink

– 1 bottle of beer

– 3 (hopefully not too small) glasses of different Aquavit

– Dinner with 3 courses which fits to the main drink of the evening

– A membership diploma

At 20.00 we start with the welcome drink. Than we have a formal meeting where we elect the members of the board for one year (no votes will not be expected). After a short (and we underline short) welcome speech of the Club`s President the dinner will start. The official meeting will be ended at 22.00 – but it is possible to stay longer.

The new club aims to promote a new civilized culture of drinking Aquavit. No drinking competence is needed – we all have to learn.

So come and join us for an evening of culture, wise speeches and toasts (in different languages, including the language of aquavit), good food and with the “water of life” in the centre.

On behalf of the President of the Murmansk Aquavit Club

Ulrich Kreuzenbeck

Security Manager to be

Finnish Minister of Foreign Affairs: Finland is willing to go for a visa-waiver with Russia.

Finland is positive about visa-free travel between Russia and EU, said Alexander Stubb to Vedomosti. I promise that we will do our best to achieve this aim, said Foreign Minister of Finland.

According to Stubb, Finland has a simple and flexible visa policy. Over 80% of the visas issued by Finnish consulates allow multiple entries within long travel periods. Last year Finland issued over 700,000 visas to the Russians.

We hope, he said to Vedomosti, that Russia will reciprocate Finnish efforts with issuing more long-term multiple visas. Besides, current Russian bureaucratic routines on registration and migration procedures for both tourists and EU workers contradict the visa-waiver idea.

Managers of about 20 chemistry concerns started a strike against the companies’ owners, informs Vesti.ru. The factories of UPM and Sappi stopped their work.

The chemistry strike is held in the background of the Finnish dockers’ strike that started last Thursday and the strike of Finnish transporters that lasted March 2-3.

Moscow: Swedish Prime Minister meets Dmitry Medvedev to negotiate General Prosecutors and cooperation in health, welfare, energy, and space.

The meeting of Fredrik Reinfeldt and Dmitry Medvedev expects signing of an agreement on General Prosecution that would be a first step for visa-free travel between Russia and EU countries, reports ITAR TASS. Besides, the negotiations will focus on health and welfare, space and energy, the Baltic Sea and Arctic cooperation.

Both parties are to discuss the situation for Swedish businesses in Russia that have a long history of collaboration thanks to the official trade cooperation agreement as of 1918. Presently, the biggest Swedish investors in Russia are IKEA, Volvo, Scania, Electrolux, and Tetra Pak. By early 2009, the aggregated investments of Sweden into Russia made up 3,4 billion USD (894 million USD of direct investments).

This is the first official visit of the Swedish Prime Minister to Russia.

photo: wikimedia commons, photo by Henrik Reinholdson. Modifications by Alex Nordstrom

March 5, Vladimir Putin signed a regulation on investing about 105 millions euro into development of cross-border cooperation with Finland, Lithuania, Poland, Latvia and Estonia, informs RIA Novosti. Russia plans to allocate up to 34 million euro in 2011 and the same amount in 2012; 2013 will get up to 13 million euro.

The funds will be transferred to European bank of Reconstruction and Development, which is in fact a financial agent between Russia and the EU border programmes.

March 12-14, Murmansk, Park Inn Poliarnie Zori

International Barents Jazz and Blues festival gathers performers from Murmansk, St.Petersburg, counties of Norway and Finland. Festival is organized by Metronome jazz club (Russia), Finnmark commune, Flait and Park Inn Poliarnie Zori (Murmansk)