− Cooperation between Norway and Russia is still taking place first of all on authority level. The general public in the border areas hardly notices any of it, says Denis Shirshov, local journalist from the Russian border town, to Norwegian broadcaster NRK.
Shirshov is one of many locals in Nikel frustrated about difficulties linked with applying for visa to Norway. In the municipality of Pechenga about 40,000 people live within an hour drive from the Norwegian border. However, crossing the border is a comprehensive procedure. Therefore, only a minor percentage of the population in the border area have travelled to neighboring Norway.
− I would like to go to Norway, but it takes too much time to travel the 200 kilometers to Murmansk to receive the visa documents. In worst case I have to make the trip several times before everything is in order, says a Nikel inhabitant to NRK.
According to Zapolyarny town mayor Vladimir Ogienko most Russians living in this area would like to explore Norway and Scandinavia, but the tedious process of visa applications put an end to most plans. Ogienko requests Norwegian authorities to make it easier for Russians to travel to Norway.
