Three days processing of visa-applications is history. “Always apply at least 15 days prior to scheduled departure. Our processing time is 10 days,” says Marit Egholm Jacobsen, head of the visa section at Norway’s Consulate General in Murmansk.
Russia should open a consulate office in Oulo and Finland should give its consulate in Petrozavodsk status as general consulate, delegates at the recent ten-year anniversary session of the Euregio Karelia stressed.
MURMANSK: Tamara Lastun got both champagne and cake when she came to pick up her new visa at the Norwegian Consulate General Friday morning. Her visa became No. 20.000 so far this year. Norway is now taking new measures to ease visa-applications.
Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre harmonizes Norway’s visa-rules with Finland for citizens of Murmansk and Arkhangelsk regions. From today, every visa granted to first time applicants will be for multiple entry, valid one year.
The old bridge on the road connecting Norway with Russia was ready to be blown up in case of invasion. A new one is on the government’s priority list for more speedy cooperation.
STORSKOG: Dmitri Medvedev and Jens Stoltenberg concluded the Barents Summit with a relaxed walk over the joint Norwegian, Russian border after getting their own visa-free ID-cards.
NIKEL: A €26 million investment at the Russian border checkpoint to Norway will eliminate all queues on the Russian side. The reconstruction of the checkpoint is planned to be finished by 2015.
IMF says Russia’s GDP risks to fall starkly to the downside this year. However, June had a 10 percent increase in travel from Murmansk region to Norway.
By using military explosive clearing personnel instead of civilian contractors to search for WWII explosives on the building site, the price tag for the new border-crossing station at Storskog was reduced with NOK 100 million.
