Northern Veche Forum to Take Place in Novgorod from September 19 to 22 - 16 September, 2002

The second Northern Veche research forum will take place in Novgorod from September 19 to 22. According to the Novgorod regional administration's press centre, the forum will be held in conjunction with the Novgorod city administration, the Novgorod regional administration and Novgorod State University.

The plenary sessions will feature discussions on innovation in the north's political system, cooperative initiatives amongst northern regions in the business sector, in particular the Novgorod Region's experience in attracting foreign investment, current economic problems in northern countries, and other questions.

According to the press centre, the forum will feature academics and politicians from Canada, Denmark, Great Britain, Iceland, Latvia, Norway, Russia, the US and other countries. They have also been invited to events celebrating Russian statehood in the Novgorod Kremlin, and on excursions to sites of interest in Novgorod and the surrounding area. Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, the President of Iceland, who was responsible for the initiative to establish the Northern Research Forum in 1998, is expected to take part in the forum.

The first forum, entitled The North Meets the North, took place in Iceland and it is proposed that the third forum be held Canada.