– It is not by chance that the conference was conceived at our institute. First of all, it is interlinked with the extensive research, both of theoretical and science-to-practice nature, carried out by staff of the Institute of Economics KarRC RAS. It was set within the framework of cross-border cooperation programs, which started in the 1990s and were implemented during three decades in the geographic scope of our relations with partners, first of all, Finland. In addition, staff of our Institute are actively involved in various projects supported by scientific foundations, which also gave a good impetus for understanding the system of cross-border relationships, the frontier and the changes happening in its morphology, - said Director of the Institute of Economics KarRC RAS Tatyana Morozova, opening the event.
According to her, today's tectonic shifts in the system of international relations pose big questions for scientists and practitioners, finding answers to which requires a consolidation of the scientific community.
– The plurality of the understanding and features of the cross-border topic is reason to join the efforts of specialists from different fields of scientific knowledge: economists, political scientists, geographers, sociologists - this interdisciplinary context has always been present in our work, and we intend to maintain this tradition in the future, - summarized the Director.
On behalf of the Karelian Research Centre RAS the audience was welcomed by Deputy Director General KarRC RAS Alexander Slabunov
The conference audience offline and online includes scientists, students, specialists, representatives of local authorities, ministries, industrial enterprises, business, tourism sector from Russia and Belarus. Attending in person are experts from KarRC RAS, St. Petersburg State University, Petrozavodsk State University, Lobachevsky State University of Nizhny Novgorod, Institute of Steppe of the Ural Branch RAS.
On behalf of the Karelian Research Centre RAS the audience was welcomed by Deputy Director General KarRC RAS Alexander Slabunov. He emphasized that the Center is a conglomerate of academic units. Karelian scientists focus on problems of biology, forestry, geology, water bodies, mathematics. Research in all these spheres is in one way or another related to economic issues.
– Thus, the Institute of Economics is in many ways a cross-linking unit in our Center, helping employees engaged in different areas of research to understand the implications of this or that activity for the society, - noted Alexander Slabunov.
He expressed the wish that the conference discussions would contribute to the understanding of the complex processes happening today "to enable choosing the right strategy of development and actions of the scientific community for the benefit of the republic, the country and the world as a whole".
Deputy Head for Research Administration of KarRC RAS Multidisciplinary Research Department Dmitry Bazegsky and Counselor at the Russian Foreign Ministry Office in Petrozavodsk Andrey Kudryavtsev
Guests were also greeted by Counselor at the Russian Foreign Ministry Office in Petrozavodsk Andrey Kudryavtsev and Acting Chair of Public Law Disciplines and Legal Studies at the Institute of Economics and Law of the Petrozavodsk State University Nikolai Levkin.
– Questions related to the development of border regions have not lost in significance and are attracting more and more attention from specialists and researchers in various fields: science, culture, economics, and social activities. The long experience of implementing all sorts of projects and cross-border cooperation programs in the Republic of Karelia can overall be evaluated positively, which proves it remains relevant at present, - said Andrey Kudryavtsev.
The main themes of the discussion this year will be the impact of socio-economic and geopolitical shocks on the development strategies of border areas, new and effective forms of utilizing the cross-border potential of the regions, demographic and socio-cultural challenges, tourism and historical and cultural heritage as a basis for regional cooperation, and more.
The plenary session was opened by Valery Shlyamin, Doctor of Economics,
Research Director of the Institute of North European and Arctic Studies, Petrozavodsk State University
The conference works in different formats and includes a plenary session, thematic and round table sessions. To see the full program (in Russian) click here.
