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. Retrieved 2010-07-03.
  2. ↑ Умер первый калининградский губернатор Юрий Маточкин: воспоминания и редкие фото. Regnum (in Russian). 2006-07-06. Retrieved 2010-07-11.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Krickus, Richard (2002). The Kaliningrad Question. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 51, 68. ISBN 0-7425-1704-7.
  4. ↑ Antonenko, Oksana; Kathryn Pinnick (2005). Russia and the European Union: prospects for a new relationship. Routledge. p. 146. ISBN 0-415-35907-4.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "Russia's policy towards Kaliningrad". British Helsinki Human Rights Group. 2003-02-18. 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. p. 108. ISBN 0-7146-4882-5.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Knudsen, Olav (1999). Stability and security in the Baltic Sea region. Frank Cass. p. 134. ISBN 0-7146-4492-7.
  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. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  9. ↑ Lieven, Anatol; Dmitriĭ Trenin (2003). Ambivalent neighbors: the EU, NATO and the price of membership. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. p. 151. ISBN 0-87003-200-3.
  10. ↑ Hanson, Philip; Michael Bradshaw (2000). Regional economic change in Russia. Edward Elgar. p. 247. ISBN 1-84064-107-X.
  11. ↑ Huisman, Sander (March 2002). "A new European Union policy for Kalinigrad". Institute for Security Studies. Retrieved 2010-08-10.