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.
Oslo asks Moscow for an explanation after BarentsObserver earlier today reported that Russia’s sanctioned Deputy Prime Minister suddenly appeared on Svalbard.
Conservative leader Erna Solberg forms a minority government with the Progress party with parliament backing from the Liberals and Christian Democrats based on an agreement not to open for controversial Arctic oil drilling.
Denmarks Foreign Minister Per Stig Møller this week says he expects countries around the North Pole to respect international laws when settling territorial claims in the Arctic. Next week the Arctic costal states meet at Greenland to discuss the rules that apply to the Arctic Ocean.
Boris Vorobyov was yesterday approved as new first deputy governor of Murmansk Oblast. Discussions in the regional duma was heated ahead of the vote, with opposition parties arguing that Mr. Vorobyov had a criminal record.
The Norwegian government’s High North policy is criticized by employees within the ministry of Foreign Affaires. The critics say that the government has presented ambitions for the High North which can never be realized.
In a meeting with journalists this week, President Dmitrii Medvedev underlined that the Russian border regions are a top priority in the country’s foreign policy.
Russia is developing a new strategy on the Arctic. In a meeting with the national Security Council yesterday, President Medvedev highlighted the region as vital for Russian national and economic interests.
The EU-Russia negotiations over a new cooperation treaty might again end up in limbo as EU member Lithuania demands that the talks are put on halt until Russia pulls more troops out of the Georgian breakaway republics of South Ossetia and Abkhasia.
The victory of Sergey Subbotin in Sunday’s city mayor’s elections in Murmansk was a major expression of confidence for regional Governor Yury Yevdokimov and a major blow to the United Russia Party. However, Mr. Subbotin is himself a staunch supporter of the United Russia Party and will loyally follow up the party line in the Russian Arctic capital.
