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Developing Norwegian-Russian military connections

General Colonel Anatoly Sidorov (left) and General Lieutenant Morten Haga Lunde at Bodø Air Force Base (Photo from Forsvaret.no)

An official Russian military delegation led by Commander of the Western Military District General Colonel Anatoly Sidorov visited Norway last week.

Location

General Lieutenant Morten Haga Lunde hosted the delegation’s three-day long visit to Oslo and Bodø, where Norway’s Joint Operational Headquarter is located. The aim of the visit was to develop further the cooperation between the Norwegian Armed Forces and the Western Military District.

“We are in the process of developing cooperation between our land forces”, Lunde says. “We have had officers’ exchange programs, which we now want to expand to also include officers of lower ranks. We want to cooperate more with the 200. Motorized infantry brigade in Pechenga”, he says to the Armed Forces’ web site.

The two parties discussed next year’s Northern Eagle exercise, where Russian, American and Norwegian naval and air force units will take part.

Besides the Western Military District, the Norwegian Armed Forces has established cooperation with the Northern Fleet and the Federal Security Service (FSB), first and foremost its border guard and coast guard troops. Contact is maintained through regular visits and Skype-talks.

The largest joint Norwegian-Russian exercise is the annual POMOR exercise, where vessels and aircraft from the two countries forces train together.