Norwegian-Russian Summit in the Arctic
From the Norwegian-Russian summit in the north. The photo shows Lt. General Stanislav Vladimirovitsj Maslov, head of the Federal Security Service's Border Directorate for the Western Arctic Region, and Lt. General Yngve Odlo, head of the Norwegian Joint Headquarters. (Photo: The Norwegian Armed Forces)
This week, the Chief of the Norwegian Joint Headquarters met with the Chief of the Russian FSB's Border Directorate for the Western Arctic Region. "These meetings are important to discuss challenges and to agree on joint objectives and necessary measures on border and rescue cooperation, as well as fishery management," says Lt. General Odlo.
"It is important to both nations to keep this channel open to speak together. It can prevent accidents and misunderstandings between Norway and Russia."
That is emphasized by the Chief of the Norwegian Joint Headquarters (NJHQ), Lt. General Yngve Odlo, in a press release about the Norwegian-Russian protocol meeting in Eastern Finnmark on Thursday this week.
Lt. General Yngve Odlo met the Russian head of the FSB's Border Directorate for the Western Arctic Region, Lt. General Stanislav Vladimirovitsj Maslov.
"The meeting was characterized by good dialogue and professionalism from both parties. It is important to carry out these meetings to discuss challenges and to agree on joint objectives and necessary measures on border and rescue cooperation, as well as fishery management," Odlo adds.
Fishery management, border and rescue cooperation
The protocol meeting was conducted aboard a Norwegian Coast Guard ship in Sør-Varanger municipality on October 5th. The municipality is Norway's border to Russia.
The Russian delegation that participated in the protocol meeting was from the Russian Federal Security Service's (FSB) Border Directorate for the Western Arctic Region.
The Norwegian delegation also comprised representatives from the Norwegian Guard, the Norwegian Border Commissioner, and the Norwegian defense attachè in Moscow.
The discussions and the professional conversations during these meetings have always been perceived as constructive from the Norwegian side, the press release reads.
The conversations concern joint challenges within border and rescue cooperation and fishery management.
It is also revealed that there is still agreement between the delegations that the challenges in the Barents Sea, the Norwegian Sea, and the country borders must be solved through open communication channels and continuing the agreements that Norway and Russia have adopted.
Background
The cooperation on the Norwegian-Russian border is based on the border agreement between Norway and Russia from December 29, 1949.
In other words, it is a historically anchored cooperation characterized by an open and good dialogue between the border guards and the Norwegian and Russian Border Commissioner.
The Norwegian-Russian fishery cooperation can be traced back to the middle of the 1970s.
This is based on how Norway and Russia (the Soviet Union back then) managed shared resources in the Barents Sea. Still, it was through the establishment of an annual joint search and rescue exercise between the two countries at the end of the 1980s that the foundation for the current extensive and good cooperation between the Norwegian and the Russian Coast Guard was established.
Source: the Norwegian Armed Forces.