St. Petersburg and Stockholm, which develop partnership contacts, set about implementing a new project, this time in social welfare development. An agreement on cooperation in this field was signed here on Friday between the Higher Social Welfare School of the Swedish capital and the St. Petersburg City administration's Committee on Labour and Employment.

The agreement signing ceremony was attended by a Swedish delegation, led by Pierre Schori, Minister of International Cooperation and Development. The guests visited this city at the close of the talks and business meetings in Moscow and Novgorod.

A Stockholm mission has been functioning here for a year now. Its efforts are aimed at developing trade and economic contacts, business, tourism, and promoting goods and services to the markets of the two countries.

It was precisely with the Stockholm mission's assistance that Swedish businessmen participated in industrial and trade exhibitions here, a weeklong festival for a healthier environment, the Days of Sweden festival in Moscow, and various business seminars.

Their counterparts from St. Petersburg, for their part, represented their city at international exhibitions in Stockholm.

Now comes cooperation on yet another aspect in business contacts. The purpose of the agreement signed is to establish and support long-term development of the social welfare system of Petersburg on the basis of Swedish experience. The realisation of the project presupposes two stages: seminars and study courses in St. Petersburg and trips to Stockholm for advanced training. The Swedish Agency for International Cooperation and Development assigns more than six million kronor for the programme.

The forthcoming Days of Stockholm festival here will be yet another important event in bilateral cooperation. The festival will include comprehensive presentation of enterprises in the leading branches of the economy of the Stockholm District, as well as business and cultural contacts.

The Swedish delegation was received in Smolny by First Vice-Governor Vyacheslav Shcherbakov, who is in charge of social welfare matters. Schori said during the conversation that his country is interested in strengthening bilateral business contacts, including those at regional level.

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