The St. Petersburg delegation was headed by Vice Governor of St. Petersburg – Head of the Office of the Governor of St. Petersburg Alexander Govorunov.
The culture and business mission of St. Petersburg to Antwerp (that took place on 04-05 September) was held in connection with the 60th anniversary of establishment twin town relations between the cities.
A.N. Govorunov met with the Mayor of Antwerp Bart De Wever as part of the Mission events. The Parties discussed perspective directions of collaboration in the area of investment cooperation, preservation of cultural heritage and facades of historic buildings, port industry, information technology, energy industry, education and culture.
Upon the completion of the Mission, post negotiation protocol was drawn up adopting the ‘road map’ on the development of cooperation between St. Petersburg and Antwerp till 2021.
Issues of experience exchange pertaining to drafting documents for spatial planning and urban developing zoning still remain on the agenda for joint work. The Belgian delegation is expected to take part in the conference devoted to prospective masterplan of St. Petersburg that will be held in November this year.
The Parties also agreed to develop exchange of experience in the area of outdoor lighting maintenance organization, implementing programs of architectural lighting of landmarks as well as promotion of new developments in light engineering.
Negotiations were held between experts in the field of tourism and culture. In particular, modern art, street art and performances of artistic groups were selected as prospective areas for cooperation.
St. Petersburg and Antwerp are committed to developing partnership in science and education. It was decided during the visit that several lecturers from the University of Antwerp will shortly come to St. Petersburg Polytechnic University to deliver a course of lectures for international programs of Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University. It was agreed to elaborate on the issues of student exchanges. It is projected that students of the University of Antwerp will participate in the Polytechnic Summer School of Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University and in international programs of Entrepreneurship and International Management.
The cities are also prepared to join efforts in developing fashion and creative industries. Members of CreaModa Association (Antwerp) that brings together leading manufacturers of the industry and monitors trends in the global market have shown interest towards St. Petersburg enterprises to place orders. Regional Integrated Center – St. Petersburg, Technopark LenPolygraphMach and Flanders DC (Antwerp) will exchange practices of setting up multi-level support system for creative industries and fashion. Contacts with Fashion Museum Antwerp have been established: experts will elaborate on the issues of arranging exchange exhibitions and holding joint activities with the State Hermitage.
Perspective directions for cooperation include collaboration in the area of the development of Smart City concept. In Antwerp the St. Petersburg delegation visited Technopark The Beacon & Start-up Village where the Europe’s largest Internet of Things laboratory is being created. The Belgian developers confirmed their readiness to collaborate with St. Petersburg information technology professionals and their colleagues from St. Petersburg Polytechnic University. It was agreed that the collaboration will be organized through unified project office including conference communication mode.
As part of the cultural program, a classical concert featuring String Quartet Capellia and Piano PetRo Duo took place in Antwerp. During the cultural program opening ceremony in attendance of Vice Governor of St. Petersburg A.N. Govorunov and the Mayor of Antwerp Bart De Wever, an Agreement was signed between Leonid Yacobson Ballet Theatre and Music Hall Production Center (Antwerp) on arranging guest performances of the Theater in Antwerp in 2019.
St. Petersburg textile artist Elena Tkachenko presented in the AMUZ International Music Center two designer items devoted to St. Petersburg. New techniques in creating fabrics may also become one of the perspective directions for the collaboration between the cities.
Further, during his visit to Belgium, Vice Governor of St. Petersburg – Head of the Office of the Governor of St. Petersburg A.N. Govorunov participated in the ceremony for the opening of the memorial plaque in the burial site of 12 Russian prisoners of war who fell during World War I in Ghent. The Event took place at the Westerbegraafplaats Memorial Cemetery with the participation of A.N. Tokovinin, Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the Russian Federation in the Kingdom of Belgium, Ye.N. Egorov, Consul General of Russia in Antwerp, Martine Verhoeve, Vice Governor of the Province of East Flanders and Daniël Termont, Mayor of the City of Ghent, as well as members of the public and compatriots living in Belgium. Alexander Govorunov thanked the leaders of the Province of East Flanders and the City of Ghent on behalf of the Governor and Government of St. Petersburg for preserving the memory of the fallen Russians, and he also laid a wreath and flowers to the memorial plaque.
On 6 September 2018, the 4th meeting of the Cooperation Council between St. Petersburg and Rotterdam was held with guidance from Vice Governor of St. Petersburg – Head of the Office of the Governor of St. Petersburg A.N. Govorunov and Deputy Head of the Administration of Rotterdam André Vervooren.
The topics discussed included issues of waste treatment and waste management, high technology, urban mobility, fashion and creative industries and cultural projects.
The professionals from Rotterdam are willing to share their experiences in treatment and decontamination of solid waste and products of wastewater treatment. Producing textile fabrics from food waste may become one of the perspective directions for the collaboration in the area of fashion industry. The Parties discussed placing orders of designers from Rotterdam with St. Petersburg manufactures.
Further, the professionals from Rotterdam will take part in the expert assessment of proposals for arranging cycle traffic in the Vasilyevsky Island. St. Petersburg, in its turn, will share its experience of creating Smart City Hardware and Software System.
Guest performances of artistic groups and educational projects are continued in the area of culture. Perspective directions include development of street art and synthesis of arts and medical science.
After the Meeting the St. Petersburg delegation visited RDM Innovation Campus Technopark located in the shipyard dock on the Nieuwe Maas River. The Technopark specializes in port industry innovation. Its territory houses a hydrodynamic laboratory and water station, a robotics zone, Internet of Things laboratory and hi-tech prototype and testing facility. Following the visit, the Parties agreed to cooperate in the area of supporting start-ups.