OREANDA-NEWS. On August, 4 Head of Karelia Alexander Khudilainen met with Mrs Viktoria Tuulas, the Consul General of the Republic of Estonia in St.Petersburg. The meeting was devoted to prospects of cooperation development in various spheres.

Among priority fields of cooperation in which both republics are interested there are tourism, medicine, and education.

As Alexander Khudilainen observed, many tourist groups used to come to Karelia from Estonia in years past - about 20 groups every year. Now this figure is much less, and our republic is ready to launch cooperation to restore and to increase in prospect the tourist flow from Estonia. The more so, as the parties possess vast resources in the sphere of tourism.

Another sphere which has prospects for development is medicine. Rehabilitation treatment of patients with diseases of the nervous and cardiovascular systems, musculoskeletal system disorders, oncological diseases is claimed in our republic. Estonia has gained vast experience in this sphere. Its best practices in social sphere is also interesting to Karelia.

The parties are also ready to develop cooperation between universities of Estonia and Karelia. This could be academic exchange, joint educational programs, development and implementation of scientific and innovation projects. Higher educational institutions have areas of common interest in the sphere of medicine, industrial and civil engineering, geology, economy, Baltic and Finnish studies, and other spheres. For instance, PetrSU has gained a lot of experience and developed methods of teaching Finnish language to native Russian speakers. Narva College of the University of Tartu is quite interested in these methods.

Other spheres of cooperation have also been discussed at the meeting, including in the sphere of forestry, mining, and transport. In particular, matters concerned the possibility of establishing the flight connection between Petrozavodsk and Tallin.

Establishing of relations between regions of Karelia and districts of the Republic of Estonia will promote cooperation development.

• If cooperation develops between municipal formations, local governments, settlements, then relations between our republics and countries will develop, too. We'll see which regions of Karelia and Estonia may establish twin-city relations, - Alexander Khudilainen said.

In turn, Mrs Viktoria Tuulas has pointed out that Karelia's main potential is its nature and its people.

• This is my third visit to your republic. People who live here are very kind-hearted, open, and welcome guests cordially, - Consul General has shared her impression.

She has also thanked Head of the republic for the open dialogue during the meeting which had resulted in specific plans of cooperation development between Karelia and Estonia.

The program of the visit of Consul General of the Republic of Estonia in St.Petersburg to our republic was interesting and eventful. Mrs Viktoria Tuulas has visited Kem and Solovetsky Archipelago, the photoexhibition about Haapsalu resort, and the memorial cemetery in Sandarmokh forest massif, Medvezhiegorsk region.

Valentin Chmil, Deputy Head of the Republic of Karelia and Minister of Economic Development of the Republic of Karelia, Valentina Ulich, Deputy Head of the Republic of Karelia and Minister of Health and Social Development of the Republic of Karelia, Valery Kiryanov, Chairman of the State Committee of the Republic of Karelia for Tourism, Anatoly Voronin, Rector of PetrSU, Daniel Martsenyuk, Third Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Representation in Petrozavodsk, Vladimir Soldatin, aide to Head of the republic, have taken part in the meeting.

Mayor of Haapsalu Urmas Sukles, PR-expert of the Haapsalu city council Raivo Hellermaa and owner of Innomedica Medical Centre in Haapsalu Dr Jaak Tälli have attended the meeting on the part of Estonia.