By the OGJ Online Staff
LONDON, July 5 --TotalFinaElf SA signed a technical and scientific cooperation agreement with the State Polar Academy of Saint Petersburg, through which the French oil and gas company aims to help ensure long term development in the regions of Russia's far north.
The deal, announced Thursday, will cover the professional training of specialists; reception and management of students; the implementation of environmental, social and ethnological studies; and the provision of financial and logistical assistance to the State Polar Academy.
"TotalFinaElf and the State Polar Academy will cooperate within the framework of regional projects, of which the objective is to guarantee lasting economic and social development in the regions of the extreme north of Russia, while respecting the environment and the traditional way of life of the local population," said TotalFinaElf.
The French company said the cooperation is in line with its policy on sustainable development.
The deal follows a 1992 intergovernmental cooperation agreement between France and Russia.
