Norway, Russia agree on sea
IN a surprise move, Norway and Russia agreed yesterday to evenly divide a long-disputed area in the Barents Sea, a promising oil and gas region in the Arctic made more accessible by global warming.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg said only technical details remain to be worked out before a deal can be signed delimiting the border, ending negotiations that have dragged on for decades. Such an agreement would also have to pass the two countries' legislatures.
"We have now turned the page on this issue," Medvedev told reporters in Oslo, adding the disputed area was "divided in a fair way."
NATO member Norway and Russia failed to agree on a maritime border in the Barents Sea during the Cold War and couldn't reach a deal despite several attempts following the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union.
Some 90 billion barrels of oil and one-third of the world's undiscovered natural gas lie hidden in the Arctic region, the US Geological Survey estimates. Both Medvedev and Stoltenberg noted that the latest agreement would promote cooperation between the two countries' energy sectors.
Stoltenberg said the countries have now reached "a good and balanced agreement." He said Russia and Norway would get "more or less equally sized pieces" of the disputed 175,000-square-kilometer area and that a deal would be signed "as soon as possible," though he didn't give a specific time frame.
Following the announcement, Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere and his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, signed a joint declaration outlining the preliminary agreement.
After 40 years of disagreement, experts on Norway-Russia relations had downplayed the likelihood of an agreement ahead of Medvedev's state visit to Norway.
"I wouldn't have expected a deal. It's so difficult for countries to give anything up," said Indra Oeverland, a Russia expert at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs. "It's a big step forward."
Still, interest in the Arctic region is intensifying as global warming shrinks the sea ice that blocks shipping and oil exploration.
The two countries have already begun developing the natural resources buried beneath the floor of the Barents Sea.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg said only technical details remain to be worked out before a deal can be signed delimiting the border, ending negotiations that have dragged on for decades. Such an agreement would also have to pass the two countries' legislatures.
"We have now turned the page on this issue," Medvedev told reporters in Oslo, adding the disputed area was "divided in a fair way."
NATO member Norway and Russia failed to agree on a maritime border in the Barents Sea during the Cold War and couldn't reach a deal despite several attempts following the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union.
Some 90 billion barrels of oil and one-third of the world's undiscovered natural gas lie hidden in the Arctic region, the US Geological Survey estimates. Both Medvedev and Stoltenberg noted that the latest agreement would promote cooperation between the two countries' energy sectors.
Stoltenberg said the countries have now reached "a good and balanced agreement." He said Russia and Norway would get "more or less equally sized pieces" of the disputed 175,000-square-kilometer area and that a deal would be signed "as soon as possible," though he didn't give a specific time frame.
Following the announcement, Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere and his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, signed a joint declaration outlining the preliminary agreement.
After 40 years of disagreement, experts on Norway-Russia relations had downplayed the likelihood of an agreement ahead of Medvedev's state visit to Norway.
"I wouldn't have expected a deal. It's so difficult for countries to give anything up," said Indra Oeverland, a Russia expert at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs. "It's a big step forward."
Still, interest in the Arctic region is intensifying as global warming shrinks the sea ice that blocks shipping and oil exploration.
The two countries have already begun developing the natural resources buried beneath the floor of the Barents Sea.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS
- |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 娌狪CP璇侊細娌狪CP澶05050403鍙-1
- |
- 浜掕仈缃戞柊闂讳俊鎭湇鍔¤鍙瘉锛31120180004
- |
- 缃戠粶瑙嗗惉璁稿彲璇侊細0909346
- |
- 骞挎挱鐢佃鑺傜洰鍒朵綔璁稿彲璇侊細娌瓧绗354鍙
- |
- 澧炲肩數淇′笟鍔$粡钀ヨ鍙瘉锛氭勃B2-20120012
Copyright 漏 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.