Nordland county and Leningrad oblast signed their first agreement on cooperation in 1987. On 26 April the 25 year jubilee was celebrated in the town of Narvik in Nordland.
An official delegation of 7 persons from Leningrad visited Narvik, headed by vice-governor on construction, energy complex and housing, Nicolay Pasyada. The Russian consul general in Kirkenes, Igor Bulay, was also included in the delegation. The Norwegian delegation consisted of 12 persons, and was headed by head of the county government of Nordland, Odd Eriksen. On the visit’s agenda was, among other things, a jubilee seminar.
The seminar was dedicated to the themes transport, energy and perspectives on research and development, and gathered over 50 participants. Key-note speakers were representatives from Narvik port, the company ESAVE and Narvik Science Park. ESAVE, based in Fauske in Nordland, offers web-based programs for the monitoring of energy consumption, and has participated in a project run by Narvik Science Park aiming at the introduction of Norwegian energy efficiency technology in the Russian market. Within the frames of the project, the participating Norwegian companies cooperated with Russian partners in the regions of Murmansk, Akhangelsk, Komi and Nenets. The project received funding from, among others, the Norwegian Barents Secretariat.
The Russian government has given high priority to energy efficiency measures, and in 2010 launched a state program with the aim to reducing the energy consumption in Russia.
The participants from Leningrad oblast expressed a keen interest in the services provided by ESAVE and the parties decided to stay in touch to discuss possible cooperation in the future.
On the cultural agenda of the jubilee celebration were the opening of an exhibition of photos from Leningrad oblast, and a concert with Norwegian dancers and the renowned Russian orchestra METELITSA from St. Petersburg. During the jubilee dinner, which took place in the restaurant on top of the Narvik mountain, the participants were given a personal account of the background and early years of the cooperation between Nordland and Leningrad by former county mayor Sigbjørn Eriksen.
The jubilee celebration will continue with an event in St. Petersburg in August.
