The Norwegian Defense will upgrade the infrastructure at the military camp and patrol stations along the border to Russia for some 100 million USD.

The FSB’s border guard service has opened a museum in Murmansk. You will need a special permission to get there, however.

The Russian State Duma plans to make significant amendments to the federal Customs law. The goal is to simplify custom procedures and speed up the export trade. In the North, a similar project for the Russian-Norwegian border is underway.

The Norwegian government now opens up for the influx of Russian workers to the three northernmost Norwegian counties. –This will strengthen cooperation across the Norwegian-Russian border, Minister of Labour Dag Terje Andersen says.

In Tuesday's meeting in the Russian Border Commission, Prime Minister Putin highlighted the need for the introduction of new modern technology in the country’s border and customs stations.

75 percent of the voters in this Tuesday's referendum said Greenland's should be independent from Denmark. With its independence, Greenland becomes a sovereign key player in international Arctic issues.

Voluntary border patrols of local civilians give invaluable help to the regular border forces along the Russian-Norwegian border, a regional border guard commander says. In the course of the last 10 months, these patrols have contributed to the detention of more than 70 violators of the border regime.

This week Norway and Iceland signed a treaty which outlines the framework of oil and gas exploration on the continental shelf between Jan Mayen and Iceland.

In the summer of 1968 the Soviet Union marched up tanks and soldiers along the border to Norway. On the Norwegian side the military had no idea about what was happening, a new documentary film shows.

In October month the number of travellers through the biggest border point from Finland to Russia was reduced by more than a third. Cross-border trade plummeted.

The Russian Border Commissioner has notified his Norwegian colleague that the border towns of Nikel, Zapolyarny and Pechenga soon will be open for all visitors again.

In his meetings in Sankt Petersburg this week, Finland’s Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb reiterated his interest in visa-free travel with Russia.

Starting from 1 December 2008 the Agreement on visa simplification between Russia and Norway comes into force, Norwegian General Consul Jon Elvedal Fredriksen, today told representatives of the Norwegian Barents Secretariat.

Head of the Federal Security Service in Murmansk Oblast, Mr. Vyacheslav Biryukov, in his annual press conference today said that Teriberka, the hub for the Shtokman project, is likely to be taken out of the Russian border zone. Also the border towns of Nikel and Alakurtti will become more open for travel.

For the first time, the number of visas issued by Finnish consular authorities to Russians in one year has exceeded 700,000. About 90 percent of the visas are multi entry visas.

Russian police this week arrested four Indian citizens suspected of having planned to illegally cross the Russian-Finnish border.

A Norwegian researcher believes that Norway and Russia are about to make an agreement on border disputes in the Arctic, which have lasted for more than 30 year old .

Russian vehicles might in the near future have to pay up to 2200 EUR per year for using Finnish roads. Finnish government officials say the measure is meant to alleviate problems with heavy traffic and backlogs on main roads in south-eastern Finland.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin yesterday appointed Dmitrii Bezdelov, former official in the Ministry of Defence, as new head of the federal Border Development Agency. Mr. Bezdelov’s main task will be to increase efficiency and reduce red tape and corruption on the country’s border passes.

An increasing number of persons have tried to cross the border between Russia and Norway illegally this year. Last weekend four Afghans managed to cross the border fence, but were later stopped by Russian border guards close to the border town of Nikel.