BarentsNews.com

On October 11th, the ambassador of Iceland in Russia Benedikt Jonsson visited Murmansk region and had a meeting with the deputy governor Alexander Selin.

Apart from getting acquainted with the region, Mr Jonsson came to seek for regional government’s support of the Russian company Kedr Plus, established with Icelandic and Swedish capital. The company plans to build a new fish-processing facility at Murmansk fishing port, investing $ 2.5 million to 3.5 million in this project. Pre-building arrangements are already under way.

As Mr Selin assured the ambassador, Murmansk region’s government is certainly interested in developing this and other similar projects that would contribute to growth of goods and services produced in the region, thus creating more jobs and increasing tax revenues to the regional budget.

The current situation and prospects of Iceland’s economic cooperation with the Murmansk region were discussed at the meeting as well. Icelandic investments in reequipping the local fishing fleet, now amounting to $ 7.8 million, were marked as a promising experience.

One more positive moment in strengthening the bilateral ties was appointment of honorary consul of Iceland in the Murmansk region. Both Mr Jonsson and Mr Selin proved satisfied with Vitaly Kasatkin filling this important post. Mr Kasatkin, being general director of Sfen Ltd., is a well-known person in the local fishery industry.