Strengthens spirit of trust
The Russian-Norwegian deal on the delimitation of the Barents Sea will strengthen the spirit of trust in the Arctic, Russian Premier Vladimir Putin underlined to his cabinet ministers.
-This deal will of course strengthen the spirit of trust in the Arctic region, create additional opportunities for the development of joint economic projects, for a responsible and environmentally safe development of the natural riches of the Arctic, Putin said at the government session held on 20 January.
As part of the discussions, Putin mentioned also the Shtokman project and the recently concluded deal between state-owned Rosneft and BP on cooperation in the Kara Sea, a transcript from the meeting reads.
The Norwegian-Russian Agreement on the delimitation of the Barents Sea and the Arctic Ocean was signed by both sides in Murmansk on 15 September last year, and was originally to be ratified by both countries’ legislative assemblies before the end of 2010. However, the ratification was for unknown reasons postponed.
Read more: Ratification of Barents Sea border deal postponed
The discussions in the Russian cabinet meeting might signal that the deal will in the near future be assessed also by the country’s State Duma. Both countries after the signing ceremony in Murmansk underlined that the ratification of the deal will be synchronized by the two legislative assemblies. On the Norwegian side, the Barents Sea agreement has been assessed with major enthusiasm and the ratification is considered a pure formality. On the Russian side, the ratification is, despite the strong support from President Medvedev, surrounded by some uncertainty. This unease was strengthened by the sudden and unexpected postponement of the ratification.
Norway and Russia had negotiated over the 175,000 square kilometer big area in the Barents Sea since the 1970s. The breakthrough deal, which was announced during President Dmitry Medvedev’s state visit to Norway in April 2010, splits the waters into two equally big parts.
As previuosly reported, the handling of the treaty in the Norwegian Parliament, the Storting, is chaired by Ivar Kristiansen, member of the Parliament’s Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence. He sees no drama in the delay.
- We have all realized that we need more time for the handling of this case than we first thought, Kristiansen told a Norwegian newspaper.
