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Energy, cross-border cooperation on agenda

Stoltenberg, Putin

There is serious progress, serious achievements and good perspectives in Russian-Norwegian cooperation, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin highlighted after yesterday’s meeting with Norwegian PM Jens Stoltenberg.

Location

The corporate dispute between Telenor and Alfa Group over Russian telecommunication major Vimpelcom did not all overshadow other issues of Norwegian-Russian relations in yesterday’s meeting between the prime ministers. High on the agenda was the development of Arctic energy projects and cross-border cooperation, a press relsease from the Russian government reads.

“Good perspectives”

The Russian Prime Minister called energy one of the key elements in Russian-Norwegian strategic relations and highlighted the importance of the Shtokman project. He added however that also transport, arctic technology, including the construction of drilling platforms and ice-protected vessels, are perspective fields of cooperation.

-Shortly speaking, there is serious progress, serious achievements and good perspectives, Putin summed up.

Shtokman important

Prime Minster Stoltenberg in the press conference said that the Shtokman project is “a very important project and a quality project”. –We have got the opportunitiy to participate in the development of this project and for that we are very happy, Stoltenberg underlined.

He also said that the meetings with Putin as well as with President Dmitry Medvedev have laid the foundation for the extension of the good, close neighbor relations between Norway and Russia.

Border zone agreement

The two government leaders in the meeting also discussed the development of cross-border travel.

-I would like to mention the good achievements within the field of cross-border cooperation, Putin said to the journalists. –In 2008 all traffic restrictions on the highway between Murmansk and Kirkenes have been abolished.

Putin also strongly indicated that there is progress in the plans for a visa-free zone in the borderlands between the two countries. –Now an agreement for cross-border travelling for people living in the border territories of the Russian Federation and Norway is under preparations, he confirmed.

That agreement has been under elaboration ever since Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov visited Murmansk and Kirkenes last June. As BarentsObserver has reported, the agreement is planned to open up for facilitated cross-border travel for the people living within a 30 km radius from the border.