vlad.tribnet.com / Issue #150 / Social life / Reading article...

German Ambassador Dr. Ernst Jorg Von Studnitz and 10 prominent German businessmen visited Vladivostok Sept. 15-18 on a tour of Russia to become more familiar with everyday life and opportunities outside Russia’s capital.

“Moscow is pretty far away from the Far East, so I’ve never made it out here,” Mr. Von Studnitz said while attending the Lutheran Cathedral’s handover celebration Sept. 16. The Pacific Fleet officially returned the premises to the Lutheran community after a four-year fight to reclaim the church.

Von Studnitz said the German government has been “constantly supporting the community in reclaiming the church.”

And he said he was in contact with local and regional officials to help speed up the transfer process. The negotiations had stalled for several months because the Pacific Fleet said it did not have the money to move to its new location at 66 Svetlanskaya St.

Von Studnitz and the businessmen also found investment opportunities in Primorye.

Representatives of prominent German companies like Daimler-Benz and Siemens are interested in the transportation, trash collection and telecommunications industries.

“There are links between the two nations,” Von Studnitz said. To cement the ties, 1,500 German businesses in Russia will offer 100 scholarships for a year of study in Germany.