On invitation of St. Petersburg governor Valentina Matvienko the delegation from Kherson took part in Forum of partners “St. Petersburg – regions and cities of Ukraine”, which was initiated by the Government of St. Petersburg in order to stir up current relations and develop new directions of collaboration with Ukrainian partners.

Representatives of twelve cities and regions of Ukraine were invited for participation in the Forum. Kherson was represented by city Mayor Vladimir Saldo and President of Kherson Chamber of Commerce and Industry Viktoriya Ostroumova.

Representatives of several branch Ministries of Ukraine, Ukrainian enterprise and organizations as well as more than 200 representatives from both sides became participants of the Forum.

On behalf of St. Petersburg the participants were the governor of St. Petersburg Valentina Matvienko, representatives of Foreign Affairs Ministry, the Ministry of Economic Development, the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, the Ministry of Agriculture, executive body of the government, representatives of business structures and non-governmental organizations.

Ukraine was represented by the Ministry of Regional Development, Construction, Housing and Communal Services, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Agricultural Policy and Provisions, representatives of the Cabinet, leaders and representatives of Ukrainian regions and cities, and also business structures.

The Kherson Chamber of commerce and industry has been working for several years on arranging commercial and cultural connections between Kherson and St. Petersburg. St. Petersburg and Leningrad region are commercial partners of our city, which supplies to them agricultural goods, shipbuilding production, component parts for transport machinery, textile production.

One of the main components of the program of the Kherson delegation was an opportunity to present their city.

St. Petersburg’s governor noted a considerable potential for the collaboration development between St. Petersburg and Ukraine, and suggested elaborating an integrated system of combined regional projects support, which assumes forming relevant political, economic, humanitarian subject-matters and their practical implementation in the form of combined development projects, as well as determination and attachment of their financial sources.

There have been held round-table discussions as a part of Forum, covering the questions of municipal management, industrial businesses’ collaboration, cooperation in the areas of tourism, science and education. President of Kherson CCI Viktoriya Ostroumova took part in the round-table discussion “Economic Development, Industrial Policy and Commerce”.

As a result of the Forum its participants signed a concluding document expressing the intention to create a Coordinating Council of St. Petersburg and its partners (regions and cities of Ukraine), with the purpose of ensuring the coordinated cross-sectoral cooperation while preparing and implementing interregional development projects, which cover the areas of trade and economic, scientific and technical, cultural and humanitarian collaboration.