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Kaliningrad Oblast: Kaliningrad Oblast of Russia
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Kaliningrad Oblast is the westernmost part of Russia, situated on the Baltic coast between Lithuania and Poland. Since the disintegration of the Soviet Union, it is an exclave of Russia, with no land connection to the rest of the country. It is named after its largest city Kaliningrad, formerly known as Königsberg. Until 1945, the region was part of the German province East Prussia, which was then partitioned between Poland and the USSR.
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Kaliningrad Oblast (Russian: Калининградская область), informally called Yantarny kray (Russian:Янтарный Край - meaning Amber land) is an administrative division (oblast) of Russia on the Baltic coast, with no land connection to the rest of Russia: an enclave of the EU. It is the westernmost parcel of land belonging to Russia, separated from the rest of Russia by the Baltic States. Its largest city is Kaliningrad (formerly K�nigsberg), which has historical significance as both a major city of Prussia and the capital of the former German province East Prussia, of which the region remains the core remnant.
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Due to the collapse of the Soviet Union from 1989 to 1991, the Kaliningrad Oblast became a Russian exclave, geographically separated from the rest of Russia. This isolation from the rest of Russia became even more pronounced politically when Poland and Lithuania initially became members of NATO, and subsequently the European Union in 2004. All military and civilian land links between the region and the rest of Russia have to pass through members of NATO and the EU. Special travel arrangements for the territory's inhabitants have been made.
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Kaliningrad Oblast of Russia is currently at the centre of discussions between the European Union and Russia. Although small in terms of geography (15.100 km²) and population (appr. 945.000 people), Kaliningrad"s position is gaining in importance due to the EU enlargement process. Kaliningrad Oblast is set to become an enclave within the EU. With accession trea-ties for Poland and Lithuania about to be signed and decisions for dealing with the visa and passenger transit recently taken, what are the prospects for Kaliningrad now?
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The Kaliningrad oblast of Russia is currently an important focal point of discussions between the European Union and Russia. Although small in terms of geography and population, Kaliningrad has grown in importance due to the EU enlargement process. Since the break-up of the Soviet Union, the oblast has become an exclave of Russia, and it is now set to ... become an enclave within the EU. This paper examines the state of Kaliningrad’s economy and trade. The economic crisis that took place in Russia in the 1990s had severe consequences for Kaliningrad, as old patterns of production and trade were disrupted. Since 1999, however, the regional economy has grown with impressive speed.
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Creation of the political faction "The Western Region of Russia" in Kaliningrad Duma in 2003 was politically important stage in reshaping the political forces in the Kaliningrad Oblast nowadays. The faction consists of members of the Union of Right Forces - liberal political party, which suffered a defeat in 2003 Parliamentary federal elections. The official ideology of "the Western Region of Russia" movement was proclaimed to be "regional egoism". Mr. Sergey I. Ledenev, who for a long time served as the head of the Budget Committee of the Kaliningrad Duma, was elected as the leader of the movement. In June 2004... he was forced to leave his position as the head of the Budget Committee. Nowadays the faction is on the edge of a break-up.
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Kaliningrad Oblast of Russia