Alexander Stubb, famous in the Barents Region for branding the north as the world´s most sexy region, is put on track to take over after Jyrki Katainen.
-The EU is an Arctic entity, EU Commission representative Fernando Garces highlighted in a seminar last week. He also reiterated the Commission’s desire for permanent observer status in the Arctic Council.
The Norwegian Minister of Environment Erik Solheim wanted to hire a plane from next week’s meeting in Tromsø between the environmental ministers of the Barents Region. Now, he drops the meeting.
The foreign ministers of the five Arctic Ocean coastal states in their meeting in Canada yesterday stressed the role of cooperation and international law. At the same time, they highlighted the major natural resource potential of the region.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is positive both about the delineation of the Norwegian-Russian disputed zone in the Barents Sea and the development of the Shtokman gas field. On Monday morning, the president arrives in Oslo for a two-day state visit.
The local United Russia party branch in Arkhangelsk last week decided to work for the abolishment of direct city mayoral elections and instead introduce a system of appointed “city managers”. Murmansk might soon follow suit.
The Norwegian Storting has suddenly decided to delay the ratification of the Treaty concerning Maritime Delimitation and Cooperation in the Barents Sea and the Arctic Ocean until next year. The Russian Duma will also wait.
