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Winter 2004
COMMITTEE HOSTS NOVEMBER DELEGATION
In November 2003, our Archangel Committee hosted three legal professionals from
Archangel with a $7,000 grant from the U.S. Library of Congress based "Open
World Program" through Sister Cities International. The Committee's goal was to
complement and enhance the Rule of Law Program that has been funded separately.
Visiting Maine were Archangel Regional Assembly member Ernest Belokorovin,
prosecutor Tatiana Yelsakova, and defense attorney Evgeny Kalinin. They focused
on the theme of "Building Coordinated Community Responses to Domestic Violence",
built upon prior exchanges similarly focused, and initiated planning for a large
domestic violence delegation to Archangel in 2004. Faye Luppi, the Director of
Cumberland County's Domestic Violence Intervention Partnership worked tirelessly
to organize an intensive and productive Domestic Violence program. In addition,
the delegates engaged in significant familiarization with our criminal court
process and with the functions of the Maine Legislature. Finally, joint
discussions relating to the improvement of the Sister City Relationship were
held.
Many of our Committee members were busy. Dennis Marrotte and Julie Aleshire took
the group on a day-long excursion to area museums and memorials; Ray Pelletier,
Dan Glover, and Judy Potter provided home-stays; Abbie Lee took the delegation
on shopping trips; and Susan Love, Jean Souliere, Carol Lynn Rossel, and Carol
Lestock assisted on other social events.
The delegation spent three days in Augusta where they were hosted by Maine
Legislators Matt Dunlap and David Trahan; several sessions with legislative and
executive branch leaders (including Governor Baldacci) were organized. Two
members of the Waterville/Kotlas sister city committee, Pauline Mayhew and Herb
Foster, joined the delegation for dinner one evening (Tatiana Yelsakova is
originally from Kotlas).
In Portland, significant events included an exchange of gifts and greetings at a
formal meeting of the Portland City Council and a enjoyable pot-luck dinner at
the home of Steve and Amanda Rowe (Steve is Maine's Attorney General).
MAINERS TEACH IN VOLOGDA
In October 2003, Federal Magistrate Judge Margaret Kravchuk, Assistant U.S.
Attorney Gail Malone, and Law Professor Judy Potter represented Maine at an
advanced jury trial seminar for seven Russian partner regions in the City of
Vologda, north of Moscow. The seminar utilized both a role play mock trial and
also smaller break-out sessions by profession. Upon her return to Maine, Judge
Kravchuk wrote that the seminar did a "great deal to foster and promote
professionalism among all of the participants" and she made three important
observations: (1) the Russian judges genuinely wanted to make sure that Russian
jurors were treated with respect in the courtroom, (2) the Russian judges would
like to develop "pattern" (or standard) written jury instructions, and (3)
Russian juries have the power to recommend leniency (a power that American
juries unfortunately lack).
INTERNET NEWS
We thank Great Works Internet for hosting our Committee website at
www.arkhangelsk.org (6750 visitors since July 1999).
ARCHANGEL GOVERNMENT LEADERS
Governor of the Archangel Oblast:
Anatoli Efremov (visited Washington, DC, May 200land met with our Co-Chair
Carol Lestock) |
Commissioner, Archangel Department of Transportation: Alexi
Vereshchagin (visited Maine July 2001) |
| Vice Governor of the Archangel Oblast: Nikoli Malakov
(visited Maine July 2000) |
Mayor of the City of Archangel: Oleg Nilov |
Chairman of Regional Assembly (Duma):
Vitali Fortygin (visited Maine July 2001) |
Vice Mayor of the City of Archangel:
Peter Orlov (visited Maine July 2001) |
Chief Justice of Regional Court:
Mikhail Averin (visited Maine Oct. 1998) |
Mayor of the City of Severodvinsk: Alexander Beliaev
(visited Maine and New Hampshire September 2002) |
Vice Chief Justice of Regional Court:
Vladimir Bounkov (visited Maine July 2001) |
Mayor of the City of Kotlas: Alexander Shashurin (will visit
Maine May 2004) |
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Mayor of the City of Novodvinsk: Nikoli Drudzinin |
FROM THE GREATER PORTLAND COMMITTEE
Sergey Kochegarov sends warmest New Year greetings and best wishes for the
future. He reports that the economic situation in the Region has improved
considerably since the 1997 fiscal crisis and that there is renewed interest
in a high school or youth exchange. Finally, he notes that our Sister City
Relationship is now in its 15' year and we share great hopes for future
endeavors.
PORTLAND SELECTS ADDITIONAL SISTER CITY
The Portland City Council has added a 5th Sister City: Mytilene (Greece) has
joined Archangel, Shinagawa (Japan), Galway (Ireland), and Cap-Hatien (Haiti).
NEWS/NOTES FROM THE ARCHANGEL REGION
- If India decides to buy the Soviet-era navy cruiser Admiral Gorshkov,
the ship will be modernized at the Severodvinsk shipyard
- As of the first of this year, 2,653 cases of the flu have been reported in
the Region
- 37 babies were born in the Region on New Year's Day, including 2 sets of
twins
- The 50 millionth ton of oil has just been pumped from the oil fields in
the Nenets Autonomous Region.
ANNUAL BUSINESS MEETING
The business portion of our Annual Meeting will be held on Tuesday, January
27, 2004 at 5:00 p.m. at the Maine International Trade Center, 511 Congress
Street in Portland. We will be holding the more traditional social portion of
our Annual Meeting on Sunday, February 1, 2004 at 2:00 p.m. at the USM Campus
Center off Bedford Street in Portland. Archangel students currently studying
in Maine and New Hampshire will be speaking about their adventures. See
enclosed flyer.
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