Finland and Russia agreed on a bilateral modernization partnership in St. Petersburg
Press release 91/2011
14 March 2011
“Finnish companies have good opportunities to take part in Russia’s projects for modernization of the country’s infrastructure and economy,” Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Paavo Väyrynen states. Väyrynen and Russian Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov signed a declaration on a modernization partnership between Finland and Russia at the meeting of the Finnish–Russian Intergovernmental Commission for Economic Cooperation held in St. Petersburg on 14 March.
Russia has entered into bilateral modernization partnerships with several EU Member States since the European Union and Russia agreed on a modernization partnership at the Stockholm Summit in 2009. Väyrynen is particularly pleased with the content of the Finnish–Russian partnership:
“We wanted to make the declaration as concrete as possible so that it would benefit our business and industry. The declaration lists several fields of cooperation, such as energy efficiency, generation of electricity and heat, information technology, the forest industry, shipbuilding and the shipyard industry. Finnish companies have special know-how in all of these fields, and Russia is interested in them. The declaration also mentions work permits and registration practices, a topic important to businesses operating in Russia.”
In the declaration, it is agreed that joint Finnish–Russian modernization projects will be reviewed annually in conjunction with the meeting of the Commission for Economic Cooperation. “The Commission for Economic Cooperation has become an important body in promoting economic relations between Finland and Russia. Aside from general issues, the meetings also make it possible to raise questions concerning concrete businesses at a high level,” says Väyrynen, who is the chairman of the Commission for the Finnish side.
The Finnish–Russian Intergovernmental Commission for Economic Cooperation met in St. Petersburg on 13–14 March under the leadership of its chairmen, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Paavo Väyrynen and Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov of Russia. The Governor of St. Petersburg, Valentina Matviyenko, also participated in the meeting.
Additional information: Päivi Nevala, Adviser to the Minister for Foreign Trade and Development, mobile tel. +358 40 753 4375, and Counsellor Mikko Kivikoski, mobile tel. +358 40 742 2306