The meeting was attended by foreign diplomatic missions: Consul General of the State of Israel, Mrs Olga Slov, Consul General of the Swiss Confederation, Mr. Roger Kull, Consul General of the Kingdom of Norway, Mr. Dag Malmer Halvorsen, Consul General of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr. Dimitris Assos, Consul General of the Kingdom of Belgium, Mr. Hans Timbremont, Consul General of Romania, Mr. Anton Pakuretsu, Consul General of Hungary, Mr. Gabor Ferenc Nagy. The topic of the discussion is the development of cooperation
Also at the meeting was attended by Dean of the Diplomatic Corps in St. Petersburg, Consul General of the Slovak Republic in St. Petersburg, Mr. Augustine Csiszár and the Chairman of the Committee for External Relations of St. Petersburg, Mr. Evgeny Grigoriev.
Georgy Poltavchenko noted that St. Petersburg actively cooperates with consulates of foreign countries and receives support from partners during the work connected with joint projects and endeavors.
He conveyed gratitude to the predecessors of the newly appointed Consuls-General for their work in St. Petersburg and expressed confidence in the continuation of the constructive dialogue. The Governor briefly presented to the heads of foreign diplomatic missions the cultural, scientific and industrial potential of St. Petersburg and noted the positive dynamics in trade and economic relations in the first half of 2017.
During the conversation, Georgy Poltavchenko paid attention to topical issues of cooperation with each of the countries, whose diplomatic representatives participated in the meeting.
In an address to the Consul General of Belgium in St. Petersburg, Hans Timbremont, Governor Georgy Poltavchenko positively assessed the level of cooperation between St. Petersburg and the West and East Flanders region and the partner city of Antwerp. He also reminded that next year marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of twin-cities relations and expressed confidence that the planned activities in St. Petersburg and Antwerp will be held at a high level.
In bilateral relations with Hungary, Governor G. S. Poltavchenko especially noted the interaction with Budapest. He recalled that in March 2016, a visit of the delegation of St. Petersburg to Budapest took place, during which constructive negotiations with the Hungarian side were held and documents on bilateral cooperation were signed. In addition, Georgy Poltavchenko said that in December of this year in the capital of Hungary the Days of St. Petersburg will be held. In the course of events, it is planned to hold the first meeting of the joint working group with the Ministry of External Economic Relations and Foreign Affairs of Hungary, and the second meeting of the joint working group with the Municipality of Budapest.
Among the nearest plans for holding joint events with the State of Israel, G. S. Poltavchenko called the "Petersburg meetings in Haifa", scheduled for November 8-11 this year. Among the most important projects to be discussed during the visit of the delegation of St. Petersburg - a proposal for the installation of the monument in Jerusalem in honor of the feat of the defenders and inhabitants of Leningrad during the Siege.
In conversation with the Consul General of the Republic of Cyprus, Dimitris Assos, Georgy Poltavchenko said that he would be glad to meet with the mayor of Limassol, Mr. Nikolaides, whose visit to our city will take place in November 2017.
Close cultural ties were noted the cooperation between St. Petersburg and Norway. Georgy Poltavchenko highly appreciated the annual festival "Legends of the Norwegian Vikings" at the territory of the Peter and Paul Fortress and noted that in the northern capital of Russia the concerts of Norwegian performers held regularly
An important direction of bilateral relations with Romania was named contacts in the sphere of culture and humanitarian projects. Georgy Poltavchenko reminded that not so long ago, in June 2016, a series of cultural and business actions "Petersburg Meetings" was organized in Romania. The Governor also indicated the readiness of our city to hold events related to the 10th anniversary of the partnership between St. Petersburg and the Romanian city of Constanta.
In the relations with Switzerland, the practice of studying the Swiss experience in the application of innovative technologies in the field of ecology and energy efficiency was especially noted by St. Petersburg.
In its turn, the Consuls General thanked the Governor of St. Petersburg for the welcome and confirmed their readiness to contribute in every way to strengthening the ties of their countries with St. Petersburg.
Following the results of the conversation, the Governor of St. Petersburg wished the Consuls General success and fruitful work, and then stressed the readiness of the Committee for External Relations of St. Petersburg to assist in resolving any issues concerning the cooperation of St. Petersburg with the countries represented.