2004 Press Releases
Consul General Scott Rauland visits Khanty-Mansiysk
October 28, 2004
Consul General Scott Rauland visited Khanty-Mansiysk on October 27-29. He met with Khanty-Mansiysk Okrug Governor, Alexandr Filipenko, and with the Mayor of Khanty-Mansiysk, Valeriy Sudeikin. They discussed cooperation between the U.S. and Khanty-Mansiysk Okrug in economic development and investment. The Okrug produces about 57% of Russia's crude. Therefore, a special emphasis was made on cooperation in the oil and gas sector. A presentation of the state system of natural resources management took place at the Okrug’s Oil, Gas and Mineral Resources Department. The director of the Department showed the delegation a unique drilling core warehouse, containing mineral samples taken from thousands of Siberian oil wells. The Consul General also attended the opening session of the annual industrialists and business leaders conference in Khanty-Mansiysk. Scott Rauland also toured the modern Information Technologies Research Institute in Khanty-Mansiysk which carries out satellite monitoring. Specialists of the institute demonstrated sophisticated software packages to monitor oil and gas pipelines and assess oil reserves.
An important element of the visit was public outreach. The Consul General and staff met with students of the new Yugra State University. The university is pursuing an active program of student exchanges and has concluded an agreement with the University of Nebraska. Some of the participants of the discussion have already visited Lincoln, and the university is looking forward to a return visit by Nebraska students in May 2005. One of the highlights of the visit was a tour of the Arts Center for Gifted Children of the North, where the consulate delegation watched a folk dance group in action and attended a children's orchestra rehearsal.
