On the 16th of February there was held a NRCC Networking Meeting in Oslo. The meeting took place in the facilities of NRCC Member Company, NHO (Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise), and was attended by close to 70 representatives of Norwegian and Russian companies, as well as representatives of Russian Embassy and Russian Trade Representation.

The meeting was opened by the Director International Affairs of the Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise (NHO), Mr. Espen Soeilen who presented his organisation as well as their activities towards Russia, herunder the Presidential Initiative Programme. Within the limits of this program Russian managers get a possibility to participate several weeks internship in Norwegian companies in order to learn about Norwegian way of doing business, society and economy. One of the former participants of this program, Mrs Elena Ivanova who now works in the IT Committee of St. Petersburg City Administration, was attending the meeting and also said a few words about the program. She gave credit to the NHO for keeping the program going for several years and stressed out the program's importance for giving new impluses to the participants. Last year, the NHO together with Russian partners launched a similar, pilot program for Norwegian managers who went on a short internship to St. Petersburg. Mrs Ingrid Åsheim, Vice President of the International Section of DnB NOR ASA, who participated in the program, was invited to share her opinion about the program. Mrs Åsheim gave credit to the iniativtakers of the new program and said that such a project gives Norwegians an unique opportunity to get acquianted with the Russian society and Russian way of doing business from inside. She warmly recommended the audience to consider participation in this progam to learn more about Russia.

Next speaker, Advisor Project Management Shtokman Asset, E&P International, of Statoil ASA, Mr. Lars M. Hvalbye addressed a topic many in the audience was eager to learn more about, namely update on Statoil activities in Russia. Mr Hvalbye told about the status in the Shtokman project as well as other projects Statoil has in Russia.

Facilitating exchange of knowledge and experience has always been and will be the key activity of the NRCC, and the next speaker, Partner of CapMan Group, Mr. Hans
Chr. Dall Nygaard from CapMan office in Moscow, told the audience about his experiences with investments in Russia in the 1990's compared with today's situation. Both Mr Dall Nygaard and his company, as well as the former Norum Investment Fund, are well-known names among Russia-interested Norwegian business executives, and his presentation was received with great interest. Members of the NRCC will as always be able to download Mr Nygaard's presentation from the Archive.

Russia is not only a market for Norwegian investments, but even more so for Norwegian export, especially that of seafood. Next speaker, Marketing Manager, Norwegian Herring, Mackerel and Capelin of the Norwegian Seafood Council, Mrs. Ingelill Jacobsen has given the audience both the recent facts and figures about Norwegian seafood export to Russia, as well as presented an impressive overview of activities and promotional events arranged by the Council in Russia.

As informed earlier, the NRCC networking meeting was attended by a St. Petersburg delegation which came to Oslo to exchange experience within innovation policy and projects. Next presentation, given by Director of the St. Petersburg City Coordinative Center for Development of Innovation Activity and Education, Mr. Yuri R. Nurulin was therefore devoted to the priority projects within innovation in the city of St. Petersburg.

Summing up the meeting, Managing Director of the NRCC Mr Jarle Forbord presented short facts about Norwegian-Russian trade and informed about coming events, hereunder NRCC Networking Meeting in Murmansk on March 10. After the meeting, Mr Espen Soelien invited the participants to the networking and refreshments session.

The presentations from the meeting will be posted in the Archive in the coming days (members only).

The Administration of the NRCC would like to thank NHO, Project Manager Halvor Willadsen and Director International Affairs Mr Espen Soelien for sponsoring the event.

Espen Soeilen, NHO	Elena Ivanova, IT Committee, St. Petersburg City Administration	Ingrid Åsheim, DnB NOR
Lars M. Hvalbye, Statoil ASA	Hans Chr. Dall Nygaard, CapMan Group	Ingelill Jacobsen, Norwegian Seafood Export Council
Yuri R. Nurulin, St. Petersburg Delegation