Moscow and Sakhalin lead in volume of direct foreign investments

Moscow and Sakhalin became leaders in raising direct foreign investments inthe first half of 2002, Yunikon/MS Consulting Group reported, referring tothe Russian State Statistics Committee. Moscow attracted $779.9m andSakhalin raised $247.7m in direct foreign investments.The share of Moscow in the total volume of direct foreign investmentsattracted to the non-financial sector in the first six months of this yearmade up 41.7 percent against 44.8 percent in the corresponding period lastyear. The share of investments in the Sakhalin region was 13.2 percent ascompared to 5.8 percent in the first half of last year. The report issuedby the consulting company says that a rise in the share of investments inthe Sakhalin region in the total volume of direct foreign investmentstestifies that foreign investors are starting more active investments inthe development of oil and gas deposits in this part of Russia..