The forum «St.Petersburg–Barcelona — Twin Cities», devoted to 25 years of cooperation is completed. The delegation of St.Petersburg took part in round table discussions on economics, urban planning, culture, and sport.
The forum «St.Petersburg–Barcelona — Twin Cities», devoted to 25 years of cooperation is completed.
The delegation of St.Petersburg took part in round table discussions on economics, urban planning, culture, and sport.
Yu.E. Kiseleva, head of the delegation, Chairman of the Committee on Urban Planning and Architecture of St.Petersburg, said: «The Forum has become a kind of preface to the upcoming 2011, which is declared by the two governments as the Year of Russia in the Kingdom of Spain and the Year of Kingdom of Spain, in Russia. Petersburg and Barcelona are going to prepare an own program for the Year full of new joint projects, as the interest of Barcelona to our city is high and diversified. We, too, studied the experience of the Catalan colleagues in different areas of the megalopolis evolution. The understanding is already reached, which areas are of most interest to continue the dialogue. The Forum included the meetings of business community. And, as referred, the entrepreneurs found very interesting points of interaction.
Development trends of a two port cities are always similar. But there is a significant difference between St.Petersburg and Barcelona in architectural and urban aspects. But the main thing I liked, that, in my opinion, would be worth of bringing into the urban planning of Petersburg, was the experience of Barcelona in the solutions of landscape design. Barcelona people embellish every little piece of land with green plants and small architectural forms. We also have found interesting a project in Barcelona, called “22 @” and involving the renovation of former industrial sites that have a negative impact on the environment. Bold architectural solutions combine with an innovative approach to the infrastructure of buildings, which the Barcelona architects call «self-regulated home». Moreover, the Municipality of Barcelona clearly defines the priorities: educational institutions, non-polluting production enterprises, including those related to nanotechnology».
Evaluating the results of the round table on economic partnership, O.K. Lyskov, Deputy Chairman of the Committee for Investments and Strategic Projects, said: «Our cities have much in common. Barcelona, loike St.Petersburg, is a cultural and tourist capital of the country with its unique architecture and rich cultural and historical heritage, a major economic and transportation and logistics hub. Therefore, the attracting of private investors to strategic projects through the PPP government in our cities come from similar circumstances and approaches. Such two-way exchange of experience for St.Petersburg and Barcelona is extremely useful».
Ilya Tolstoy, General Director of JSC Technopark of St.Petersburg, said: «Barcelona has an interesting experience in the field of entrepreneurship support and development of the cluster of digital technologies to create new employments. I believe that the results of our negotiations with the municipal agency “Barcelona Activa” will allow us to establish long term cooperation».
Liudmila Miley, Deputy Director of BIZKON, summing up the work of the business mission of St.Petersburg, which included the representatives from 12 companies, said that «many Spanish companies responded and came to the negotiations; a live business communication was a success».
The Museum of Ethnology of Barcelona hosted a photo exhibition of the Russian Ethnographic Museum «Museum of Peoples of the Multi-Ethnic City».
The leaders of cultural institutions and museums of St.Petersburg and Barcelona have discussed projects for 2011 and for the long term.
The delegation of St.Petersburg visited several Olympic venues, got familiar with the work of sports halls and bases of preparation of athletes. Vadim Moiseev, Deputy Chairman of the Committee for Physical Culture and Sports at St.Petersburg Government, said: «We should like to invite the Spanish athletes to our traditional competitions in St.Petersburg, and we hope that the Spanish side would also invite our folks to their sporting grounds».
Within the confines of tthe Forum, a master class was held by Sergei Stadler, People’s Artist of Russia, at the Higher School of Music of Catalonia, and a concert was performed by the pupils of the music school at the St.Petersburg Conservatoire.
Forum organizers: St.Petersburg Committee for External Relations and the Department for External Relations of Barcelona.
For more information call: Olga Volkova, a spokesman for St.Petersburg Committee for External Relations, +7 (921) 904-3034.
The Forum was held in Barcelona on October 18 through 20, 2010.
Source: Committee for External Relations of St.Petersburg