"A favourable investment climate in Russia is created, among other things, by favourable contacts among people," Farizov said. The level of foreign investors' trust, in his opinion, is higher in those cities where "popular diplomacy" is developing.
Omar Farizov cited the example of two twin cities: Mytishchi (Moscow region) and Gabrovo (Bulgaria). The Russian delegation which recently visited Gabrovo consisted mainly of representatives of small and medium business. "Such contacts finally result in an economic effect," underscored the director general.
In his turn, vice president of the World Federation of United Cities Sergei Paramonov told the journalists about some results of the Federation's forty years of activity.
In the course of several years the Federation organised three Russian-Byelorussian and two Russian-Ukrainian meetings of representatives of twin cities, Paramonov said. Presently, preparations are going on for the first trilateral Russian-Byelorussian-Ukrainian meeting which will take place, supposedly, in 2004 in the Ukrainian city of Chernigov, he added.
From May 2 to 5, 2004, a constituent congress of a new world organisation of united cities and local authorities, which will also include the WFUC, will meet in Paris, the Federation's vice president pointed out.
According to him, at the present time 843 cities and regions of the Russian Federation and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) maintain twin contacts with 1,189 cities of the world.
