Address to the participants

ARTUR CHILINGAROV

Coordinator of the Project “Saint Petersburg — the Sea Capital of Russia”
Bureau Member of the UNITED RUSSIA Party Supreme Council
First deputy head of the “UNITED RUSSIA” faction in the State Dume of the Russian Federation

Dear colleagues!

Today one can hardly imagine development of Russia as a Sea Power without due attention to environment issues of water resources of our country. The seas surrounding the territory of the Russian Federation, are fragile ecosystems regularly feeling the impact of human activity and climatic changes. Among marine environment issues and threats there are consequences of intensive cargo and passenger navigation, ports and oil loading terminals activity, operations of shelf and deep water exploitation of oil and gas. These are the spheres of economic activity where every mistake may become fatal for marine environment, for instance remember the catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico.

Fish resources depletion, eutrophication of marine ecosystems, marsh formation in rivers and destruction of river banks are the results of the harm done to the reservoirs environment. Agricultural, sewage and industrial effluents poison our rivers, lakes and seas every day.

Today in Russia reforming of environmental regulation actively takes place: Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation by the order of the President of the Russian Federation Mr Medvedev is currently working out a legislative package for increase of environmental responsibility of users of natural resources and solution of the existing issues.

At the II international conference “St. Petersburg — the Sea Capital of RUSSIA. Environment” we will discuss the prospects of implementation of these reforms, legislative innovations, ways of solution of environment issues of seas and other inland waters of Russia and will get acquainted with innovative technologies of sewage water treatment.

I invite you to discuss the crucial issues of water resources protection at the conference “St. Petersburg — the Sea Capital of RUSSIA. Environment”!

VADIM TYULPANOV

Director of the “UNITED RUSSIA” Party Project “St. Petersburg — the Sea Capital of RUSSIA”
Chairman of the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg

Dear colleagues!

Preservation of the environment of water objects and maintaining the high level of water quality are the priority tasks for Russia. Our country as any other state with the industrial sector actively developing, needs conducting of environment protection measures for the content and safe exploitation of water resources.

Environment state of the Baltic basin is one of the crucial issues of the recent years for St. Petersburg — the sea capital of Russia. A considerable number of streams and almost all communal wastewaters from the populated areas reach the aquatorium of the Baltic Sea via the territory of the city and the region. We are concerned with the fact that together with household and industrial effluents and intensive cargo and passenger navigation, nitrogen, phosphor, thousands tons of oil pollute the waters of the Baltic.

For the purpose of protection of water resources of Russia from environmental damage it is extremely important to join efforts of all the interested parties: we should direct the work of representatives of the federal and regional governments, industrial enterprises and companies, producing waste treatment facilities, for creation of an effective complex of environmental measures. Deep scientific investigation, according to which we will work out effective methods of struggle against water resources pollution, should be carried out.

I’m sure that work of the delegates of the II International conference “St. Petersburg — the Sea Capital of RUSSIA. Environment” for discussion of the environmental issues concerning seas and rivers will be fruitful!