This first issue of the IISS Russia and Eurasia Programme’s online journal is dedicated to an analysis of relations between northwestern regions of Russia and the states of northeast Europe. The analysis is based on papers delivered, and discussions held, at the December 2001 IISS/CIRP conference held in Velikiy Novgorod (in the Northwest Federal District) entitled ‘Prospects for Enhancing Cooperation between the North-Western Regions of Russia and Baltic Sea States’. The conference was the first in a series planned for all seven Federal Districts. The conference was organised as part of the Russia and Eurasia Programme project entitled ‘Russia’s Regional Perspectives on Foreign and Security Policy Issues’, which will examine how new Russian regional elites perceive, influence and carry out a range of policies in their relations with neighbouring countries.
The Novgorod conference focused on the extent of cross-border cooperation between regions of Russia’s Northwestern Federal District, and their European neighbours, in three key policy areas: the economy; grassroots exchanges; and security. The conference participants included Russian and European officials from federal, regional and local governments, academia, business communities, regional media and NGOs. All shared their practical experience of cross-border cooperation on a diverse set of issues ranging from educational exchanges to cross border trade and investment, and border control and visa regimes. In this respect, the IISS Novgorod conference differed from some previous conferences which had focused on inter-state or particular bilateral issues.
This issue includes an analytical paper, with an executive summary and recommendations, written by Oksana Antonenko and Kathryn Pinnick of the IISS Russia and Eurasia Programme, together with a range of papers by Russian regional representatives.
The issue is edited by Kathryn Pinnick, Jill Dobson and James Hackett, with translation assistance from Lorena Elliott. Design is by Simon Nevitt.
