OREANDA-NEWS. October 6, 2011. Information and Business Missions: St.-Petersburg – Regions of Russia conference was launched in Karelia on October, 4. It is a meeting of representatives of St.Petersburg's and Karelia's business-communities, building business, housing and communal services, bank sectors and public organizations. The conference is held under the initiative of the Committee for External Relations of St.-Petersburg, the event is organized by the association of St.-Petersburg Inter-Regional Information and Business Centre.

During the conference opening ceremony Lev Shustov, First Deputy Minister of Economic Development of the republic, has thanked the colleagues from St.Petersburg for organization of the mission and has noted, that such 'immediate contact' meetings are very important for the republic and especially for small and medium business. Demonstration of own projects and the opportunity to get acquainted with the partners' offers are purposes of agreements on cooperation. On the volume of commodity circulation St.Petersburg is the largest business partner of the republic from among the regions of Russia. It accounts for about 11% of all exported paper, 27% of cardboard, 39% of wood-particle boards, 48% of furniture. Karelia also closely cooperates with St.-Petersburg in the sphere of tourism, public health, education and culture.

On the first day of the conference the cooperation agreement between the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Karelia and the Association St.-Petersburg Inter-Regional Information and Business Centre has been signed. The agreement is an additional tool for development of partner relations between the regions.

Round table discussions have also been organized on the first day of the conference where matters concerned modernization of housing and communal services, opportunities of implementation of joint projects in construction, mining and timber industries. To the capital of Karelia from St.Petersburg there came directors and representatives of such companies as DINRUS Ltd., ORTIS Scientific and Production Commercial Firm Ltd., DemontazhStroiInzhiniring Ltd., Alliance Leasing JSC, Minplast, SPRINT Group, Holding-Credit, the St.-Petersburg branch of Inkommerts Bank, Baltika-Trans Ltd., Stroi-Kit Company Ltd., Energocom Ltd., Sea-Nord Television Space Bridge Scientific and Production Commercial Firm.