It will be a busy Barents Region week for Norway’s Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre. On Wednesday he will sign the historical Barents Sea border deal with Russia in Murmansk. Then he travels to the Norwegian border town Kirkenes, before he fly south to the largest city in the Barents Region; Arkhangelsk on Thursday.
Støre will stay in Arkhangelsk for two days and participate at several of the many arrangements to be hold during the Norwegian Days by the end of the week. The main event will be the official opening of the Norwegian Honorary Consulate on Friday. The new Honorary Consul, Andrey Shalyov is also the head of the Norwegian Barents Secretariat’s offices in the Russian part of the Barents Region.
Like normal when Norway’s Foreign Minister visits Russia, he will also in Arkhangelsk give a lecture at the Northern (Arctic) Federal University. Russia’s Minister of Education Andrey Fursenko will also be present. The same will the President’s envoy to Northwest-Russia, Ilya Khlebanov and Arkhangelsk Governor Ilya Mikhailshok. Støre’s speech is entitled “Taking Northern Knowledge to the Next Level.”
In addition to the Foreign Minister, a large delegation of Norwegian’s from Northern Norway will participate at the many Norwegian-Russian events in Arkhangelsk from Thursday to Sunday. Many of the arrangements are coordinated by the Norwegian Barents Secretariat.
Read also: Norwegian Days in Arkhangelsk
Foreign Minister Støre will later the same evening be at the concert with maybe the most famous musician from the Barents Region; Norwegian-Sami Mari Boine.
