Geography of Political Relations of the St. Petersburg Parliament with European Partners: Historical Experience and Prospects

In the paper, the authors investigate international relations between the parliament of St. Petersburg with the states of Europe. For more than 20 years, the St. Petersburg parliament has accumulated rich experience in all-round interaction with various European states. The developed and adopted legal framework allowed St. Petersburg to effectively interact with foreign investors. This process was mutually beneficial. It ensured the safe development of foreign business in St. Petersburg. Owing to international relations, thousands of jobs were created in the metropolis, new scientific specialties appeared in connection with the introduction of advanced technologies into production, and cultural ties began to develop at a qualitatively new level. All this contributed to mutual economic benefit and a better understanding of the mental characteristics of the different peoples of Europe and Russia. With the strengthening of the sanction policy, many mutual achievements were destroyed, which significantly slowed down the dynamics of relations. The purpose of the study is to analyze the positive experience of interaction, which, under favorable political conditions, can revive the lost experience of effective cooperation between St. Petersburg and European countries. In the paper, the authors used published and unpublished sources about the reception of delegations from European countries in St. Petersburg and statistical information about the economic cooperation between St. Petersburg and European countries. The authors come to the conclusion that the experience of cooperation of the St. Petersburg parliament with 36 European countries and with European international organizations is the best basis for revising the current state of relations and using the existing opportunities for further mutually beneficial cooperation.