OREANDA-NEWS. April 20, 2012. Head of Karelia Andrei Nelidov held a meeting devoted to establishing of Syvaoro international automobile border-crossing point in Lahdenpohja region on the border with Finland.

Representatives of the Federal Agency for State Border Infrastructure Development, customs office of Karelia, Frontier Department of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation for the Republic of Karelia, heads of ministries of the republic took part in the meeting.

Andrei Nelidov has raised the question of construction of a full-fledged border-crossing point of Syvaoro in March at the meeting with Vladimir Putin who has supported inclusion of necessary funds for Karelia in the national border development federal target program and has encharged the Government of Russia with relevant tasks. The progress of this work was discussed at the meeting with the Head of Karelia.

Konstantin Kalninsh, Deputy Head of NWTA of Rosgranitsa, has told that the Federal Agency supprts the idea of construction of Syvaoro international automobile border-crossing point in the South of Karelia. Preparation of necessary documents for consideration of this issue in the Government of Russia presently goes in cooperation with authorities of the republic. In particular, reservation of the ground area, designing of the road to the international automobile border-crossing point-to-be, coordination of activities with the authorities of Finland are in progress. Options of the check point-to-be construction financing are also studied. According to one of them, the necessary federal funds may be assigned in the line of the Federal Service for Defense Contracts (Rosoboronzakaz).

In turn, Andrei Nelidov has once again pointed out the importance of construction of Syvaoro international automobile border-crossing point for development of the regions of Ladoga Lakeside and has charged the cabinet ministers put forth all republic's exertions to advance the project implementation to the uttermost.

Let us remind that Syvaoro border checkpoint is located 30 kilometres from the town of Lahdenpohja. Launched in 1996, however, it was always ranked as a simplified border checkpoint used for exporting the forest produce of local enterprises. Currently, Syvaoro is overcharged with traffic, just like all the other points of crossing the Russian-Finnish border.

Occurrence of a new modern border checkpoint will help to reduce lines considerably in other operating international automobile border-crossing points both in Karelia, and in Leningrad region. No less important is the fact that construction of Syvaoro is able to give a stimulus to development of various kinds of business in the South of Karelia. Upon commissioning the new border checkpoint conditions of the foreign trade activity will improve there essentially, there will appear opportunities for mobilization of investments, development of international tourism.