Khabarovsk, October 1, 2008 - Today, in the course of their first visit to the Russian Far East, Shigeo Katsu, Vice President of the World Bank for the Europe and Central Asia Region, and Klaus Rohland, Country Director for Russia, met with Victor Ishaev, Governor of Khabarovsk Kray, to discuss opportunities and areas of cooperation between the World Bank and the region in the framework of the Bank's cooperation with Russian regions through provision of advice and lending without a sovereign guarantee.

Governor Ishaev and Vice President Shigeo Katsu emphasized the solid track record of on-going cooperation between the Bank and the region that includes successful implementation of several projects such as hydromet modernization, e-learning development, forestry and fire management, and biodiversity conservation. Mr. Katsu also informed Governor Ishaev of the Bank's first sub-national lending operation in the Russian Far East, recently approved, aimed at improving municipal infrastructure of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.

"The Bank looks forward to expanding its cooperation with the Kray and stands ready to assist in the areas of key importance for its socio-economic development, including infrastructure, social services, improvement of the quality of life of people in Khabarovsk Kray, and in the Russian Far East at large", commented Shigeo Katsu after meeting with the Governor. "Today the Bank is more than just money - it's a 'knowledge bank', and our projects go hand in hand with analytical and advisory services".

Governor Ishaev also confirmed the region's interest in participating in the new Global Tiger Initiative that was recently launched by the World Bank President Robert Zoellick, jointly with leading international organizations, environmentalists, scientists and celebrities. Khabarovsk Kray is known for its achievements in conserving their population of the unique Amur tigers. The Russian Federation will play an important role in the 2010 "Year of the Tiger" Summit.

"We are planning to send a technical mission of the World Bank experts to work out proposals with the Kray specialists on key challenges facing the region, such as infrastructure and social services, sustainable forest sector development, clean water solutions, including the Amur River, and environment management. I hope, this mission would mark a new stage in our cooperation with the Khabarovsk Kray Government", said Klaus Rohland, Country Director for Russia. 

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