Norway’s Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and his Russian colleague Sergey Lavrov are meeting today to discuss a broad range of cooperative measures between the two countries.

Political talks

Although the two countries’ northern regions are top of the agenda, talks will also be held regarding liasons within trade and industry, climate, and energy.

During his visit, Støre is also to meet with representatives for Norwegian business in Russia, Russian researchers, and representatives for several NGOs.

Warm-up

Today’s meeting is also a sign of an improvement in Norwegian-Russian relations. In the same week Støre was in Moscow, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Andrey Nesterenko, commented positively about them in an interview with the Russian news agency RIA Novosti.

“Russian-Norwegian relations are on the rise. Inter-parliamentary contacts and collaboration at the ministry/department level are expanding. The juridical base of bilateral cooperation is being strengthened,” said Nesterenko, in a translation issued by the Information and Press Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.

And in his first visit to Norway, scheduled for spring this year, the Russian President Dimitri Medvedev will be discussing economic cooperation and innovation.

Støre and Lavrov have met a number of times during the past few years, most recently under the Murmansk International forum in October last year.

After his meeting with Lavrov in Moscow, Støre is to join His Royal Highness Crown Prince Haakon in Kazakhstan for the opening of Norway’s new embassy in Astana on 05 February, writes the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a press release.