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November 25  |
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| Under the auspices of
the Sakhalin Regional Program “Social Projects of Sakhalin and
the Kurils, 2003”, the Conference “the Tourism Potential of
Sakhalin Region” was held in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk on November 25.
About 60 persons were in attendance including: Vadim Rokotov,
Acting Director of the Sakhalin Region International,
Inter-economic, and Interregional Committee; Alexander Nikulin,
Russian Head of the Russian – American Pacific Partnership
Transportation Committee; Tatyana Garshenina, Chairperson of
the Union of Sakhalin Business People, an NGO; and
representatives working in the Sakhalin tourism, travel and
hotel businesses. The Coordinator presented remarks entitled
“Necessary Essentials for Attracting More American and Other
Foreign Tourists to the RFE” addressing the need for
resumption of direct flights between the US West Coast and RFE,
the difficulties and delays encountered by potential foreign
tourists to the RFE in obtaining RF tourist visas; and the
negative affect on tourism that the Kuril Island border regime
plays and how the results would be similar on Sakhalin Island
if a comparable border regime is reinstituted. The main result
of the conference was agreement among the attendees that a
Tourism Information Center to promote and lobby the interests
of this industry should be created on Sakhalin. The Union of
Sakhalin Business People working with the industry will take
the lead in establishing this Center for which office premises
have already been identified. |
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| November 21 |
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| The Coordinator attended
the weekly meeting of the Khabarovsk Rotary Club on November
21. Visiting the club and making remarks at the meeting was Al
Fedoryak, Governor of Rotary International District No. 5010
which takes in all of Russia east of the Urals and parts of
the western US and western Canada. Regarding Rotary, Mr. Fedoryak noted: the community and service oriented approach;
efforts to combat poverty and disease in developing countries;
student exchanges and other educational and literacy
initiatives; and that there are 1.2 Rotary members in 133
countries making it the largest such organization in the
world. Also in attendance were: Alona Berg, Head of the Rotary
International Foundation who explained the matching grant
policies and rules in interrelations between clubs and the
Foundation; representatives from Rotary clubs in Vladivostok
and Komsomolsk-on-Amur; and exchange students from Canada and
Brazil respectively who are spending the 2003-4 academic year
attending high schools in Khabarovsk. Mr. Fedoryak during his
RFE trip also visited clubs on Sakhalin and Kamchatka, and in
Vladivostok, Blagoveschensk, and Komsomolsk-on-Amur.
Specifically, while on Sakhalin with the assistance of the
Assistant Coordinator who also serves as the Rotary District
Assistant to the Governor, Mr. Fedoryak visited clubs in
Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Korsakov, and Kholmsk. |
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| November 19 |
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Mr. Myers, Ms. Isaeva, Lubov Latupova,
Khabarovsk Representative of the Assistance to Russian Orphans
Project, and the Coordinator participated in a Round Table
discussing the ARO Project and other related social issues
held at the Khabarovsk City Administration on November 19.
Also in attendance were: the Heads of the Khabarovsk City
Departments of Education, Health Care, and Social Defense; ARO
grant recipients; and NGOs working in the social sector. The
main outcome of the Round Table was a strengthened commitment
by those in attendance to support methodological and other
reforms occurring in Russia dedicated to improving the lives
of children and increasing their level of social defense. |
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November 18 |
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The RI RFE held a Round Table for USG funded
Projects moderated by the Coordinator Kregg Halstead at and
with the assistance of the Khabarovsk Krai Administration on
November 18. Those in attendance included representatives of
the Krai and Khabarovsk City Administrations as well as Oksana
Morozova, Head of the Department of International Relations
for the Komsomolsk-on-Amur City Administration. Making remarks
or individual presentations about Project activities were
Terry Myers, Mission Director, Paul Mulligan, Department of
Economic Development Director, Irina Isaeva, Vladivostok
Representative each from USAID/Russia as well as Khabarovsk
representatives from the American Corner, the Russian –
American Pacific Partnership, BISNIS, the Counterpart Business
Fund, Delta Lease-Far East, the Program Enhanced SME
Development for the Russian Far East, ROLL – NGO Green House,
the Civic Initiatives Program, the Internet Access & Training
Project, the Project for the Prevention of Trafficking in
Women, the American – Russian Center, the Forest Project, the
Assistance to Russian Orphans Project, IREX, and the Alumni
Association. The Round Table generated considerable press
coverage in the Khabarovsk media. At the conclusion of the
Round Table, Aleksei Novikov, Director of the Department for
International Relations and Tourism under the Khabarovsk Krai
Ministry of Economic Development and International Relations
and other members of the Krai Administration expressed their
satisfaction with, appreciation for, and pledged to actively
support the activities that the USG funded Projects are
implementing in the Krai. |
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Olga Shetinina, Director and other staff
from the Program Enhanced SME Development for the Russian Far
East held a press conference at the Khabarovsk Krai
Administration on November 18 to announce the commencement of
the Program, highlight its scope of and where it will work,
and to note Program accomplishments already achieved during
its first 2.5 months of existence. In attendance at the press
conference were: representatives from the local media;
officials from the Khabarovsk Krai Administration; Terry
Myers, Mission Director, Paul Mulligan, Office of Economic
Growth Director, Yulia Shevchenko, Project Management
Specialist, and Irina Isaeva, Vladivostok Representative each
from USAID/Russia; Erin Hughes and other representatives from
Program contractor Winrock International; Program partners
such as Alexei Shumilov, Director of the Counterpart
Enterprise Fund; and the Coordinator. |
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The Civic Initiatives Program held an awards
ceremony and press conference on November 18 to announce and
highlight competitively selected recipients of newly taking
effect December 1st small grants encompassing various citizen
initiatives to improve livability in Khabarovsk. The past work
of previous Program grant recipients was also discussed and
noted. Those in attendance included representatives from the
local media and other USG funded Projects, Mr. Myers, Ms.
Isaeva, and the Coordinator. |
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| November 5-15 |
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| A delegation consisting of five
Washington State-based law enforcement personnel and youth
affairs specialists directed by Sarah Logan of FRAEC visited
Sakhalin November 5-15. The visit was part of the community-based
policing approach being introduced on Sakhalin through the
Partnership “Sakhalin – Washington, Work of Law Enforcement
Agencies” primarily between the Olympia, Washington Police
Department and the Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Department of Internal
Affairs. During the visit, members of the delegation conducted
instructional seminars or held share methodology meetings
with various actors in the Sakhalin criminal justice system:
law enforcement personnel; judges; youth affairs experts;
and criminologists. One main area of emphasis in these endeavors
was addressing and advising regarding the steady rise on Sakhalin
of offenses committed by juveniles. Ms. Logan was assisted
during the delegation’s visit in scheduling and logistics
by the Assistant Coordinator. |
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| November 12-13 |
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| Peter Langeberg, Director of
Security Operations for Exxon Neftegas Limited conducted a
Workshop on November 12-13 dedicated to security for expatriate
personnel working on the Sakhalin oil and gas projects as well as for objects being utilized in the
projects such as office buildings, pipelines, and on and off
shore facilities. Attendees at the Workshop included
representatives from Exxon Neftegas Limited, Sakhalin Energy,
BP, Rosneft Sakhalin Morneftegas, and the Armor Group as well
as Sarah Logan of FRAEC, Elena Nedzelnitskaya, Government
Relations Specialist for the American Business Center and the
Coordinator. These attendees comprise the Security Committee
arising out of the Ms. Logan led Partnership “Sakhalin –
Washington, Work of Law Enforcement Agencies” which meets
monthly. The main activity conducted during the Workshop was
threat and risk assessment with compilation of recommended
safety measures which will be presented to senior management
of each company. Immediately after the conclusion of the
Workshop, a representative from the Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk
Department of Internal Affairs made a presentation to the
Security Committee regarding the rise in offenses committed by
juveniles and the dangers that such offenders pose to
expatriates working on Sakhalin. The Department of Internal
Affairs working through a local NGO would like to open a
center for troubled teenagers and requests assistance with
funding from the companies listed above. The Security
Committee will take this proposal under consideration during
its December meeting. |
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| November 12 |
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| Gregory Sundstrom,
Vice-President and Regional Director of the US – Russia
Investment Fund which implements Delta Lease-Far East visited
Sakhalin and Vladivostok during the first two weeks in
November. The nature of Mr. Sundstrom’s visit included
monitoring and oversight of the financial leasing activities
being undertaken by Delta Lease-Far East offices in
Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Vladivostok, and Khabarovsk. During the
Sakhalin-phase of his visit, Mr. Sundstrom also met with
representatives of Sakhalin oil and gas project operators,
contractors, and subcontractors. Mr. Sundstrom reported to the
Coordinator that: Delta Lease-Far East has conducted an
aggregate of approximately 13.1 million USD in financial
leasing transactions from its May 2000 RFE start up period
through the present; individual offices are experiencing high
annual percentage growth and are rapidly expanding their
number of personnel; and Russian contractors and
subcontractors looking to acquire equipment and materials
offer the best perspective for concluding financial leasing
transactions under the Sakhalin oil and gas project tenders.
During the meeting, the Coordinator noted Delta Lease-Far
East’s transition from a USG assistance project to a
profit-generating business with sustainable operations
extending into the future. |
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| November 6 |
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| The “Society of Sakhalin Invalids”
held a festival on November 6 attended by approximately 250
people to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the founding of
the Society. Prominent in attendance were numerous Sakhalin
residents with physical or mental disabilities in addition
to numerous Regional and Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk City officials.
Among those making congratulatory remarks were Hon. Fedor
Sidorenko, Mayor of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk as well as RI RFE Coordinator,
Kregg Halstead. Entertainment was provided by Mikhael Boyarskiy,
extremely popular Russian actor and singer from the Soviet
era film “The Three Musketeers”. |
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| George
Beard, Director of the E-Government Program at the Mark
Hatfield School of Government of Portland State University
visited Sakhalin and Khabarovsk during the first week in
November. Mr. Beard met on Sakhalin and in Khabarovsk with
representatives from institutions of higher education as part
of preparations for compilation and submission of a new PSU
university partnership grant application to the State
Department Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. During
his visit, Mr. Beard also met with the Mayor of Khabarovsk and
Krai officials in connection with supporting and strengthening
the Portland - Khabarovsk Sister City relationship. The Coordinator and Assistant Coordinator as
well as the local PSU representative in Khabarovsk, Elena
Donets assisted Mr. Beard in these endeavors. |
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| Natalia Proskurina and other
staff from the RFE - US West Coast Active Partnership Program
presented a power point briefing on November 6 for Vadim Rokotov
of the Sakhalin Regional International Committee, Jeffrey
Valkar and other American Business employees as well as the
Coordinator and Assistant Coordinator. The briefing began
by identifying the priority areas in which the partnerships are conducting operations: social and economic infrastructure
development, good governance, HIV/AIDS prevention,
environmental advocacy, rule of law and SME development. The
briefing then proceeded to note strong tangible results in
these areas achieved to date by numerous of the partnerships.
Ms. Proskurina also announced that the Partnership Program
will hold a conference in Vladivostok December 9-11 featuring
the results of partnerships and activities of other USG funded
Programs. |
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