OREANDA-NEWS. September 12, 2012. Within three days from September, 10 to September, 12 the delegation of Karelia led by Head of the republic Alexander Khudilainen is making a visit to Finland.

The purpose of the visit is further expansion of bilateral cooperation between Finland and Karelia. The delegation includes ministers of the Government of Karelia, deputies of the Legislative Assembly, heads of administrations of some municipal regions, and entrepreneurs.

The first talks within the scope of the visit took place in Helsinki on September, 10. In particular, Alexander Khudilainen met with Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Finland Alexander Rumyantsev, Trade Representative of the Russian Federation in Finland Valery Shlyamin and the management of Poyry, a large consulting and engineering company.

As Alexander Khudilainen has told, matters at the meeting with Russia's Ambassador concerned prospects of development of cooperation between Karelia and Finland. Alexander Rumyantsev has stated his positive opinion of the first steps made by the Government of Karelia in this direction. The opportunity of integrating our industry in the economy of the European Union were in the limelight of negotiations with Poyry. Poyry has an extensive experience of working in the field of Russian forestry and wood industry, the company is implementing many projects in Russia on elaboration of strategies and programs of business development. As a whole, the consulting company has offices in more than 50 countries of the world. Experts of Poyry have made their recommendations concerning directions of becoming for the economy of Karelia, this cooperation with the Government of republic will go on.

The meeting of Head of Karelia Alexander Khudilainen with President of the Republic of Finland Sauli Niinisto is scheduled for September, 11. The parties will discuss issues of cross-border cooperation, in particular, development of border-crossing points and traffic lanes on Karelian site of the border between Russia and Finland. In the opinion of the head of our region, the sheer fact of this meeting will be a message to the Finnish business about the opportunity of working in Karelia.

On September 11 and 12 meetings with Minister of Economic Affairs of Finland Jyri Hakamies and Minister for European Affairs and Foreign Trade Alexander Stubb will take place in Helsinki. The delegation partricipants will hold talks in the Parliament of Finland, will meet with representatived of business circles of Finland.

Except for the capital of Finland, the delegation of Karelia is also going to the town of Lahti to visit Lahti Science and Business Park Ltd. and a number of local industrial waste treatment plants.