Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov could smilingly conclude that the regional cooperation under the umbrella of the Northern Dimension is unique when it comes to international consent.
- It is not often that we find solutions on every question on the agenda where everyone agrees, Lavrov said after today’s meeting between Norway, Iceland, Russia and the EU.
The ministerial meeting on the Northern Dimension was held within the frames of the EU-Russia Permanent Partnership Council on foreign affairs
Lavrov emphasized that cooperation like the Northern Dimension is politics that concerns issues related to peoples’ lives.
- It is real politics, and that makes it a lot easier to concentrate on the issues at hand, said Mr. Lavrov, and dismissed any invitation to comment either on the war in Georgia or the financial crisis at the press conference.
The Northern Dimension should have partnerships on different topics. So far, health and environment have been the main issues of cooperation. In this ministerial meeting Norway, Iceland, Russia and the EU added transport and logistics as a new partnership.
- It is important to look also to the north for finding alternative transport routes. Both with railway transportation through Russia, Finland, Sweden and Norway and see the northern sea routes as complimentary alternatives, Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Store highlighted at the press conference.
In the joint statement after the meeting, it was underlined that the transportation partnership should be developed in compliance with high environmental standards.
The Russian foreign minister also underlined the need for a practical approach towards facilitating transport across borders. He hoped there would be a more rapid development of better customs relations between the EU and Russia.
The ministers maintained that they were satisfied with cooperation between the Northern Dimension and the four regional councils in the North; the Barents Euro-Arctic Council, the Council of the Baltic Sea States, the Nordic Council of Ministers and the Arctic Council.
By Geir Seljeseth for BarentsObserver
