CROSS-BORDER RELATIONS IN RURAL AREAS (BASED ON LOCAL BORDER TRAFFIC)

The paper aims at presenting to answer: can cooperation within local border traffic (LBT) be a platform for cross-border relationships in rural areas? Rural areas located in the border zone were subjected to analysis, limiting the study area to the Polish Warmia-Masuria Province and the Kaliningrad Oblast of the Russian Federation. For the needs of the present task, survey studies were designed and carried out, targeting rural governments of Warmia-Masuria Province (rural areas) covered by the Agreement on LBT on the Polish side, as well as respondents residing in the Kaliningrad Oblast on the Russian side. Individual interviews represented the basic research method in data collection. The interview questionnaire was the research tool applied. As results from the carried out surveys: cross-border relationships on rural areas within LBT expand economic innovation, infiltrate social and cultural influences, overcome negative stereotypes, and reinforce cooperative habits. Furthermore, they support the development of additional cross-border cooperation area.