In a conference in Murmansk this week, Governor Yuri Yevdokimov stressed that the regions play an important role in securing Russian national interests in the Arctic.
Thorvald Stoltenberg, the former foreign minister who was instrumental in the establishment of the Barents Euro-Arctic Cooperation, has been commissioned by the Norwegian government to elaborate a report on a new Nordic defence and foreign policy.
Regional authorities in the Komi Republic rejoice as an agreement over gas deliveries to the huge Komi Aluminium project was signed with Gazprom last week. The agreement secures resumed development of the project, the biggest of its kind in Russia ever. The plant will create 10,000 new jobs.
This week two men have to meet in court, accused of serious corruption and fraud in connection with work at the LNG-plant at Melkøya in northern Norway.
The annual turnover of the Port of Murmansk might be boosted to 80 million tons by year 2020, a Russian Deputy Minister of Transport said in the Baikal Economic Forum this week.
A Norwegian researcher believes that Norway and Russia are about to make an agreement on border disputes in the Arctic, which have lasted for more than 30 year old .
The Norwegian 2009 budget includes new fresh money for cultural cooperation in the Barents Region. Investments in culture are an important part of the High North policy, the government highlights.
The boost in Russian export tariffs on round timber has not resulted in more domestic processing, as intended by Russian authorities. On the contrary, major parts of the Russian forestry processing industry experiences decline and are threatened by crisis.
