The Arctic has lately been called “a region of high conflict potential”. Increased attention is being given to the region as climate change is making shipping routes better navigable and the presumed natural resources more accessible. Experiences from the Norwegian-Russian border show however that this is also a region with a considerable cooperation potential, Pettersen writes in her chapter “Cross-border security cooperation” in the Secretariat’s first Barents Review.
The relationship between the military forces guarding the respective sides of the border have developed positively in the years since the break-up of the Soviet Union, parallel to the development of cross-border cooperation and confidence between regular Norwegians and Russians.
Cooperation closer than ever
While cooperation between NATO and Russia has experienced hard times over the last years, the Norwegian-Russian military cooperation in the north has remained seemingly unaffected by the higher level relations. Bilateral relations remained the same with frequent meetings even during the Georgia crisis in August 2008. On several occasions in 2009, both Russian and Norwegian military leaders have underlined that the relationship has “never been better”, Pettersen writes.
The Norwegian and Russian military cooperate more closely than ever, with several meetings being held every year between military leaders, as well as with daily contact on operational level. Military leaders stress the importance of establishing good personal relationships across the border and see this as an important basis for informal contact in case a situation should occur.
2009 – a year of special events
In her chapter Pettersen focuses on cooperation and contact between Norway’s and Russia’s border guard and coast guard services, and with special attention to the year 2009. In addition to regular meetings, joint exercises and the fourth Barents Rescue exercise, several special events took place this year. In October Norwegian Border Commissioner Colonel Ivar Magne Sakserud visited the Rybachiy Peninsula, thus becoming the first Norwegian officer ever to be permitted entry to the closed area. The same month Commander of the Northern Fleet Vice Admiral Nikolay Maksimov was on a three days long visit to Norway. He visited the Norwegian Navy’s main base in Bergen, the country’s largest air force base in Bodø and the new high security Operational Command HQ in Bodø, which opened on August 1th 2009.
Read also: Barents Review 2010 to be launched February 4th
