OREANDA-NEWS. On 26 January 2009 was announced, that on January 22, Head of Karelia Sergey Katanandov has signed the Memorandum of Cooperation with the Administration of the Provincial Government of Oulu (Finland). Actually, the Memorandum has once again confirmed and secured those multilateral and longstanding relations that have developed between the Finnish province of Oulu and the Republic of Karelia. Active cooperation has begun in 1992 and developed in the field of economy, tourism, education, science, sports, culture, social protection and public health services, transport and logistics. Our law enforcement bodies and salvage and rescue services have also cooperated.

Under conditions of the proceeding world financial crisis Finns look attentively at prospects of cooperation with Russia and Karelia with new interest, considering it reasonable, that the extensive border and longstanding economic relations offering them certain advantage over other countries of the European Union, will help to go through the crisis phenomena less painfully. From January 21 to 23 delegation of Oulu led by the Governor Eino Siuruainen is on a visit to Petrozavodsk. The two governors have held negotiations during which issues of cooperation continuation and development in 2009 and in prospect have been discussed.

Within the scope of negotiations such spheres of cooperation, as development of transport corridor from Oulu to the Republic of Karelia and further to Arkhangelsk area and the Republic of Komi have been defined. More regard will be paid to social development and public health services where improvement of life conditions of children and development of work of boarding schools was chosen a priority. In the sphere of education and sciences it was decided to continue supporting cooperation between centres of science, universities, professional and other educational establishments, co-education between teachers of the two countries, etc. Extensive lists of specific directions of teamwork also contain paragraphs as Culture, Tourism, law enforcement bodies and rescuers will keep working together. All this will be drounded on the thorough program of cooperation in the field of economy. Governors have endorse the Memorandum by their signatures, have exchanged the signed copies the way it should be.