Vladivostok Consul General Erik Holm-Olsen made his first visit to Kamchatka, February 26 to March 2. In addition to courtesy calls with local officials, he met with members of two Rotary Clubs, the director of World Wildlife Fund’s Kamchatka office, and visited the Institute of Volcanology and Seismology. Over the weekend, the Consul General attended two dog-sled sprints associated with “Beringia Days,” Kamchatka’s annual 900-kilometer dog-sled race. Meetings were cordial and consistently touched upon our hosts’ interest in seeing more American visitors – be they tourists, investors, students or professors – to Kamchatka. A desire for closer cooperation with Alaska in particular was a common thread in these discussions.
