Passenger ship to make trial run from Tuapse to Abkhazia

.

TUAPSE, Krasnodar Territory, July 21 (Itar-Tass) - A passenger ship is
to make a trial run from this health resort city to Gagra on Wednesday.
The run will enable people to make tourist trips to Abkhazia aboard
comfortable sea-going craft, and will also make it possible to alleviate
the road networks of Sochi and the border-crossing point of Adler, a Sochi
administration official has told Itar-Tass.
A sea link with Abkhazia will be maintained by the Sochi-based
shipping company Logger. An official in the press service of the Black
Sea-Azov border department of Russia's Federal Security Service said
passengers of the ship will go through border control procedures at the
Sochi seaport, which has available all the necessary conditions and
technical means for border and customs control.
The passengers of Turkey-bound ferries cross the Sochi seaport
border-crossing station every day. Border guards have also gained
experience in receiving foreign tourists who arrive in Sochi aboard large
tourist cruise liners, the border department official pointed out.
A sea link with Abkhazia is also to be organized via Adler, as soon as
the necessary conditions are created there for border and customs control
procedures.
At the peak of the holiday season, up to 35,000 people cross the
border with Abkhazia every day. Following the opening of a regular railway
service with the neighbouring republic at the end of June, about 700-800
people travel by electric trains daily.

.Baltic Artek camp receives youths and girls from 10 countries.

KALININGRAD, July 21 (Itar-Tass) - A large bonfire has become an
impressive aspect of Wednesday's ceremony marking the opening of the
International Baltic Artek youth tent camp on the Kaliningrad coast of the
Baltic Sea.
The camp has drawn almost 500 youths and girls, aged from14 to 30,
from ten countries. They all represent scout organizations and movements
and are participants in the camp's first seven-day Youth of the Future
session.
The lighting of the fire with the observance of all the scout canons
followed a ceremonial carrying out of the state flags of Austria, Belarus,
Germany, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Ukraine, and
Estonia.
In a speech of greetings before the participants and guests of the
youth camp, Kaliningrad Region Governor Georgy Boos emphasized, "The
international camp is called upon to become a forum that will unite the
young people of various countries". He pointed out that a stationary
International youth camp, functioning the year round, would be built on
the Kaliningrad coast of the Baltic Sea in several years' time and would
be able to receive up to 2,500 young people at a time.
Camp director Vassily Bykov has said the scouts are to play business
and intellectual games, have training sessions, workshops to promote the
development of vocational skills, a scout rally, gatherings round
bonfires, and concerts.
Participants in the first session are to take up the elaboration of a
programme for a 2014 international assembly of scouts, and a scout summit
of the Baltic Sea countries, due to be held in Kaliningrad in autumn this
year.
In all, within 30 days, the camp will receive more than 2,000 people.
Main emphasis is laid on educational programmes, the sharing of work
experience, and the elaboration of joint ideas. The camp will bring
together representatives of the youth parliaments and associations,
assemblies, and other organizations of Russia, the Commonwealth of
Independent States, and the European Union, as well as youth public
movements that advocate a healthy way of life.
-0-pop