Suggests military attaché in Murmansk
- Norwegian, Russian military cooperation in the north are so wide-ranging that a military attaché should be based at the Consulate General in Murmansk, says head of the Norwegian Barents Secretariat Rune Rafaelsen.
Last Friday, Norwegian military officials and Russian border guard officials met at the Norwegian Barents Secretariat in Kirkenes to get updated information about the civilian cross-border cooperation in the north.
Head of the secretariat, Rune Rafaelsen, used the opportunity to underline the importance of good relations between both civilian people and uniformed officials on both sides of the Russian Norwegian border.
- With the low-tension and good relations we see today between military officials in the high north, I think it is high time for Norway to have a military attaché at the Norwegian Consulate General in Murmansk, says Rafaelsen.
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Rafaelsen says much of Norway’s military contacts with Russia are in the north and such attaché will then be in the area where important tasks take place.
- It is in the north we have common naval interests, the coast guards works on joint control of the fishery resources, we have the border-guards and the general interests towards the Arctic are on rise internationally, says Rune Rafaelsen.
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Today, Norway has one military attaché, one assistant military attaché and two military secretaries at the Embassy in Moscow.
