On October 19, in the framework of the first Russian-UK Raw Materials Dialogue "Trust and cooperation as key elements of sustainable development," the Chairman of the Foreign Relations of the St. Petersburg Committee, Mr. Evgeny Grigoriev held a panel discussion on the prospects of bilateral cooperation.
In the course of the discussion there were following speakers:
- Nina Pusenkova, Senior Scientific Researcher, Institute of World Economy and International Relations of RAS, Head of the Forum "Oil and Gas Dialogue";
- Nikita Lomagin, Vice-Rector for Relations with Public Authorities and Public Organizations of the European University in St. Petersburg;
- Sergey Serdyukov, technical director of Nord Stream 2 AG;
- Alistair Bent, Vice President of BP Russia;
- Jan Lewis, Director of Wardell Armstrong;
- Jan Cilliers, Professor of Imperial College London.
Also, Vladimir Litvinenko, the rector of the St. Petersburg Mining University took the active involvement in the expert discussions.
The Chairman of the Committee for External Relations of St. Petersburg, Evgeny Grigoriev, in his welcoming speech, identified the main aspects of cooperation between St. Petersburg and Great Britain.
"Despite all the differences in views on the various political aspects between Russia and Britain, and, in particular, between St. Petersburg and Great Britain, there has always been and still is much in common," said Evgeny Grigoriev.
He noted that there are strong ties between our countries in the field of trade and economic relations, in tourism, culture, science and education, youth exchanges, etc. This is confirmed by the Russian-British cross-cultural year in 2014, the cross-year of languages and literature in 2016, and, finally, the cross-year of science and education in Russia and the United Kingdom in the current year 2017.
"This serves as an undeniable testimony to the mutual interest of the parties and a confirmation of the desire to develop dialogue," concluded the Chairman of the Committee for External Relations of St. Petersburg.
Also, Evgeny Grigoriev conducted a short excursion into the history, telling about the establishment of twin-city relations between St. Petersburg with Manchester and Edinburgh. He also presented plans for the next visit of the delegation of St. Petersburg in Manchester of the 55th anniversary of the partnership and gave a brief overview of the activities of British companies in the northern capital of Russia.
"About 100 British companies operate in our city today. They are involved in legal and consulting areas, in the field of transport infrastructure, pharmaceuticals, education, culture, and tourism," said the Chairman of the Committee for External Relations of St. Petersburg
He also reminded the audience that the partnership - a two-way street and invited the parties to mutually beneficial cooperation for the benefit of the inhabitants of our countries and cities.
At the end of his speech, Evgeny Grigoriev noted that the interaction of science and higher education has traditionally been a strong component of the bilateral Russian-British relations, and St. Petersburg Mining University plays important role in inter-university cooperation.
The Chairman of the Committee for External Relations of St. Petersburg expressed his confidence that the first Russian-UK Raw Materials Dialogue would give a strong impetus to the intensification of bilateral contacts.
In the course of further discussions, the experts discussed a wide range of issues.
Nina Pusenkova, the Senior Scientific Researcher of the Institute of the World Economy of International Relations of the RAS, spoke about, in her view, the promising areas for cooperation. Especially, the increase in the oil extraction ratio, the extraction of hard-to-recover reserves, the cooperation of small and medium-sized companies in the oil and gas sector, and the exchange of experience on corporate social responsibility issues were noted.
Alistair Bent, Vice President of BP Russia, shared his experience in managing joint ventures. The speaker dwelled in detail on the issues of hiring the labor force, using the full potential of local partners, the factor of international restrictions, the need to think through the model for financing joint ventures and forming a management team representing both sides.
Nikita Lomagin, Vice-Rector for Relations with Public Authorities and Public Organizations of the European University in St. Petersburg, expressed views on Russian-British cooperation perspectives and possible mechanisms for strengthening the process.
Jan Lewis, Director of Wardell Armstrong, reported on the shortage of engineering schools in the UK and suggested a more active exchange of experience, based on a strong Russian scientific base.
Sergey Serdyukov, technical director of Nord Stream 2 AG, joked that everyone expects when "the fog over England dissipates" and it will be possible to resume active and fruitful contacts.
Jan Cilliers, Professor of Imperial College London, paid much attention to the transfer of knowledge. The expert suggested preparing a program for the exchange of students and teachers, as well as implementing joint research.
Also, Vladimir Litvinenko, the rector of the St. Petersburg Mining University took the active involvement in the expert discussions. He spoke about his perspective of the foundations of sustainable development, threats existing in the modern world, and trust as a fundamental factor for the successful development of cooperation.
In addition, experts actively discussed issues of social corporate responsibility and interaction with the local population in oil and gas production sites. Much attention was also focused on the environmental issues. A suggestion was made to form an expert council in the field of environmental protection based on the St. Petersburg Mining University and the Institute of Materials, Minerals, and Mining (IOM3) of Great Britain, who organized the forum and have a high reputation in the professional community. In addition, the problems of training, in particular, the lack of financing and possible mechanisms for resolving these issues were discussed. Jan Cilliers, Professor of Imperial College London, in response to a question from Vladimir Litvinenko, shared with the British experience in providing training funding.
Summarizing the panel discussion, the Chairman of the Committee for External Relations of St. Petersburg, Evgeny Grigoriev, once again highlighted the existing challenges of bilateral relations. The tendencies of the change in mutual trade between St. Petersburg and European countries in a negative way and in the direction of growth with the United States were given to this effect. Evgeny Grigoriev once again highlighted the position of the Russian side and readiness for cooperation with foreign partners on parity mutually beneficial terms. He stressed, in particular, the futility of attempts to pressure Russia and impose external interests. "All participants of international processes should play by common rules,» Evgeny Grigoriev said. – And, as has been noted by President of Russia Vladimir Putin, our country has always been adhering to commitments we have undertaken. We expect the same from our partners.»
In conclusion, Evgeny Grigoriev thanked all participants of the panel discussion, the British Consulate General in St. Petersburg and the organizers of the forum – the St. Petersburg Mining University and the Institute of Materials, Minerals, and Mining (IOM3) of Great Britain.