Overweight Russian particle accelerator arrives late

Russia writes off Soviet-era debt with goods

print this

A milestone in Finnish trade with Russia took place on the campus of the University of Jyväskylä at 9:30 Monday evening.
      Two lorries arrived at the Department of Physics, carrying a Russian-built particle accelerator. The delivery was one of the last practical measures taken by Russia to write off debts owed to Finland by the Soviet Union.
      The installation work for the new device began immediately. The aim is to have the particle accelerator ready for use at the beginning of next year.
     
Monday’s events did not go exactly as planned. The lorries were to have arrived in Jyväskylä already at 11:00 in the morning. However, they got stuck at the border. One of the lorries was two tonnes overweight.
      Getting the necessary permits took its time, and when that was cleared up, there was no escort car for the special transport. The lorries did not get on their way until after 4:00 PM.
     
When the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991, it owed Finland EUR 1.3 billion. Russia promised to answer for the debts, and to pay the money back by2020.
      Thanks to its economic growth, Russia managed to pay off its debts ahead of schedule. In August 2006 Finland got the last cash consignment of EUR 222 million. After that there was only EUR 23 million in goods and services left. A total of 14 projects were approved for Finnish universities and research institutes, of which the particle accelerator for Jyväskylä is the largest.
     
The particle accelerator was built by the Efremov institute in St. Petersburg. In addition to the core of the accelerator, a magnet weighing 45 tonnes, the device includes other special equipment.
      Head engineer Pauli Heikkinen and Professor Rauno Julin say that the accelerator, worth 5.9 million US dollars, was financed by the fourth, and last debt programme.
      “The delivery of the cyclotron concludes one historical phase in Finland’s trade relations with the east”, the two write in a press release.

More on this subject:
 BACKGROUND: A long history of Finnish trade with the Soviet Union and Russia

Helsingin Sanomat