Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg shared a Barents Sea cake with the border residents and promises full speed ahead with seismic activity from day one when the maritime border treaty comes into effect on July 7.
Jens Stoltenberg pointing a the new maritime border on the decorated cake he shared with the border citizens in Kirkenes. Photo: Jonas Karlsbakk
Stoltenberg met with regional players in the Norwegian, Russian cooperation in the border town of Kirkenes on Wednesday, one day after the two countries foreign ministers exchanged the ratification documents in Oslo.
The maritime delimitation treaty marks the end of a 40 year territorial dispute between Norway and Russia in the Barents Sea. The area is question is believed to hold oil and gas, but a moratorium on seismic activity in the area as long as it was disputed prevented clear answers on what is where.
- We will start the survey of petroleum resources in the earlier disputed area from day one when the agreement between Norway and Russia enters force, says Jens Stoltenberg.
The Prime Minister underlines that a thorough process with impact study, including environmental assessment will be made before a possible decision on whether to open the area for exploration.
- This is a historic day for Norwegian, Russian relations, Jens Stoltenberg said to BarentsObserver while eating his piece of the huge pie, decorated with the map of the Barents Region including the new maritime border. Stoltenberg provided himself with a piece of the pie from the Nenets district, the most oil rich onshore area in Northwest Russia.
- The delimitation agreement will lead to closer cooperation between Norway and Russia, both for authorities and businesses in our two countries, Stoltenberg says.
Jens Stoltenberg in interview with BarentObserver’s Thomas Nilsen (right). Minister and Chief of Staff at the Office of the Prime Minister Karl Eirik Schjøtt-Pedersen in the middle. Photo: Jonas Karlsbakk
After the celebration on the central square in Kirkenes, the Prime Minister invited regional businesses for a round table talk on how to employ to good purpose the new window that opens between Norway and Russia now as the delimitation agreement enters force.
The Prime Minister also announced that the government has granted 180 million NOK for seismic activity in the Barents Sea for 2011 and 2012. The seismic data collection in Norway’s new area in the Barents Sea will take place from July 7 with the vessel RV Harrier Explorer, operated by PGS.
So far, there are now announcements from the Russian side on when Russian seismic vessels will enter the eastern part of the earlier disputed area.
The delimitation treaty stipulates for how Norway and Russia can joint work on potential petroleum reservoirs that cross the new border line.
