Yuri Matochkin

Yuri Semyonovich Matochkin (Russian: Юрий Семёнович Маточкин; 18 October 1931 – 6 July 2006)[1][2] was a Soviet and 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]

Yuri Matochkin
1st Governor of Kaliningrad Oblast
In office
25 September 1991 – 20 October 1996
Succeeded byLeonid Gorbenko
Personal details
Born
Yuri Semyonovich Matochkin

(1931-10-18)18 October 1931
Simskoye, Iglinsky District, Bashkir ASSR, RSFSR, Soviet Union
Died6 July 2006(2006-07-06) (aged 74)
Svetlogorsk, Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia
Political partyIndependent

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 significant 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 3 July 2010.
  2. Умер первый калининградский губернатор Юрий Маточкин: воспоминания и редкие фото. Regnum (in Russian). 6 July 2006. Retrieved 11 July 2010.
  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. "Russia's policy towards Kaliningrad". British Helsinki Human Rights Group. 18 February 2003. Retrieved 3 July 2010.
  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. Knudsen, Olav (1999). Stability and security in the Baltic Sea region. Frank Cass. p. 134. ISBN 0-7146-4492-7.
  8. "Globe". Globe. 6 (1–6). Retrieved 3 July 2010.
  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" (PDF). Institute for Security Studies. Retrieved 10 August 2010.
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