Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Paavo Väyrynen to visit Murmansk

Press release 163/2008
15 May, 2008

Paavo Väyrynen, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development, will make an export promotion trip to Murmansk, Russia on 20–22 May. The minister will be accompanied by a delegation of more than 80 people representing businesses, the government, the regional administration of Northern Finland, other organisations and the research sector. The delegation includes experts, for example, from the following sectors: energy and the environment; infrastructure and construction; logistics; the mining industry; and navigation.

The chairman of the business delegation will be Mikko Niini, President of Aker Arctic Technology Inc. The host of Minister Väyrynen’s visit to Murmansk on 20–22 May will be Yuri Yevdokimov, Governor of the Murmansk Region.

The purpose of the visit is to strengthen Finnish companies’ connections in the Murmansk Region, create business opportunities, investigate the region’s economic potential and to determine the state of development projects. During his visit, Minister Väyrynen will visit the Port of Murmansk as well as companies.

Additional information: Ossi Martikainen, Senior Adviser to the Minister, tel. + 358 9 1605 6306; Klaus Korhonen, Deputy Director General, Department for Russia, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, tel. +358 9 1605 5547; and First Secretary Pia Nordberg, Unit for Russia, tel. + 358 9 1605 5093