CHERNOMYRDIN CALLS FOR SWEDISH INVESTMENT IN RUSSIA.

Publication: Monitor Volume: 2 Issue: 87

Following a full day of talks in Stockholm yesterday, Swedish leaders and a Russian delegation led by Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin announced the signing of two accords. The first was an agreement on cooperation in combating crime between the Russian security services and Swedish police. The second was a protocol spelling out cooperation between Russia’s border guard service and the Swedish coast guard. Chernomyrdin declared that there were "no significant political problems" in relations between the two countries. Nevertheless, his major pitch during the trip was for greater bilateral economic interaction and, especially, for increased investment by Sweden in the Russian economy.

Chernomyrdin said that Russia was at a critical stage of economic and political reform and suggested that Sweden could play a positive role in promoting that process by participating in the Russian economy. Chernomyrdin pushed the construction of a high capacity Russia-Finland-Sweden-Western Europe gas pipeline as one possible project, and also urged Sweden to participate in the construction of a second complex at the Kola nuclear power station. According to Chernomyrdin, Sweden accounted for 1.8 percent of overall foreign investment in Russia in 1995, which ranked it 33rd among states investing in Russia. (Itar-Tass, May 2)

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