Yuri Matochkin

Yuri Matochkin, also spelled Yury Matochkin, (born 18 October 1931 — 6 July 2006)[1][2] was a Russian politician. He was the first post-Soviet governor of Kaliningrad Oblast, having been appointed to that position by Boris Yeltsin in September 1991.[3] Matochkin was elected to the Federation Council in 1993 and served on the International Affairs Committee.[3] He was a Professor of Economics.[4]

Just prior to the breakup of the Soviet Union, a Free Economic Zone was established in Kaliningrad and Matochkin represented it in the USSR.[3] He continued to support a free economic zone, as well as closer cooperation with the West, particularly the European Union,[3] and placing an emphasis on foreign investment in Kaliningrad.[5] He felt it was necessary to formulate a single state policy regarding Kaliningrad.[6] He regarded Germany as especially important.[7] Matochkin envisioned Kaliningrad as a free-trade region with signinficant administrative autonomy.[7] He also favoured upgrading the region from an Oblast to a republic of Russia.[8]

In 1994 he persuaded Russia to adopt a document emphasizing foreign cooperation, especially with the European Union.[9] Matochkin succeeded in restoring Kaliningrad's special economic zone advantages in January 1996, and also secured the region's first major foreign investment, an agreement with the automobile manufacturer Kia.[10]

Yuri Matochkin contested the 1996 elections for regional governor in 1996, and was defeated in the second round of voting by Leonid Gorbenko.[5][11] After the election, Gorbenko was subjected to hounding by supporters of Matochkin.[5]

References

  1. ^ "Yuri Matochkin". Council of Europe. http://assembly.coe.int/ASP/AssemblyList/AL_MemberDetails.asp?MemberID=6183. Retrieved 2010-07-03. 
  2. ^ "Умер первый калининградский губернатор Юрий Маточкин: воспоминания и редкие фото" (in Russian). Regnum. 2006-07-06. http://www.regnum.ru/news/669278.html. Retrieved 2010-07-11. 
  3. ^ a b c d Krickus, Richard (2002). The Kaliningrad Question. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 51, 68. ISBN 0-7425-1704-7. http://books.google.com.au/books?id=sDOUZEEnHFUC&pg=PA51&dq=%22yuri+matochkin%22&hl=en&ei=yacuTLOnKsGIkAW2mdmCBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CD0Q6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=%22yuri%20matochkin%22&f=false. 
  4. ^ Antonenko, Oksana; Kathryn Pinnick (2005). Russia and the European Union: prospects for a new relationship. Routledge. pp. 146. ISBN 0-415-35907-4. http://books.google.com.au/books?id=Be3vZMyJkQcC&pg=PA146&dq=%22yuri+matochkin%22&hl=en&ei=664uTN-hMNCLkAWJ4N2CBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCYQ6AEwADgK#v=onepage&q=%22yuri%20matochkin%22&f=false. 
  5. ^ a b c "Russia's policy towards Kaliningrad". British Helsinki Human Rights Group. 2003-02-18. http://bhhrg.org/russia/51-russias-policy-towards-kaliningrad.html. Retrieved 2010-07-03. 
  6. ^ Waller, Michael; Bruno Coppieters, Alekseĭ Vsevolodovich Malashenko (1998). Conflicting loyalties and the state in post-Soviet Russia and Eurasia. London: Frank Cass Publishers. pp. 108. ISBN 0-7146-4882-5. http://books.google.com.au/books?id=J_S9xfdODDUC&pg=PA108&dq=%22yuri+matochkin%22&hl=en&ei=yacuTLOnKsGIkAW2mdmCBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CEIQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=%22yuri%20matochkin%22&f=false. 
  7. ^ a b Knudsen, Olav (1999). Stability and security in the Baltic Sea region. Frank Cass. pp. 134. ISBN 0-7146-4492-7. http://books.google.com.au/books?id=EOaEIGjslyAC&pg=PA134&dq=%22yurii+matochkin%22&hl=en&ei=MrkuTPLPFZWXkQXT7tiCBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8&ved=0CEkQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=%22yurii%20matochkin%22&f=false. 
  8. ^ Globe 6 (1-6). http://books.google.com.au/books?id=-TZnAAAAMAAJ&q=%22yuri+matochkin%22&dq=%22yuri+matochkin%22&hl=en&ei=dLEuTP3lAcqGkAWl_JCCBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CCoQ6AEwATgU. Retrieved 2010-07-03. 
  9. ^ Lieven, Anatol; Dmitriĭ Trenin (2003). Ambivalent neighbors: the EU, NATO and the price of membership. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. pp. 151. ISBN 0-87003-200-3. http://books.google.com.au/books?id=0h394P8cRDUC&pg=PA180&dq=yuri+matochkin&hl=en&ei=_7YuTIzUOc6GkAWH6-2CBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CC4Q6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=yuri%20matochkin&f=false. 
  10. ^ Hanson, Philip; Michael Bradshaw (2000). Regional economic change in Russia. Edward Elgar. pp. 247. ISBN 1-84064-107-X. http://books.google.com.au/books?id=x-A1nWV1UosC&pg=PA247&dq=%22yuri+matochkin%22&hl=en&ei=664uTN-hMNCLkAWJ4N2CBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CCsQ6AEwATgK#v=onepage&q=%22yuri%20matochkin%22&f=false. 
  11. ^ Huisman, Sander (March 2002). "A new European Union policy for Kalinigrad". Institute for Security Studies. http://www.ppl.nl/ebooks/files/occ33.pdf. Retrieved 2010-08-10.