Cultural focus on High North

Norwegian Minister of Culture Trond Giske said he hopes for more financial support from Russia to cultural projects in the High North. Cultural projects have always made up an important part of the Barents cooperation, and the two ministers now plan to cooperate even better, Norwegian newspaper Nordlys reports.

In the meetings, Mr. Giske highlighted the important role of the Norwegian Barents Secretariat and the newly establish cultural program “BarentsKult”, established this year to help increase cultural cooperation in the region. The Norwegian minister said that it is cultural cooperation and contacts between people which gives the developments of the High North real contents. For the next six months a group of Norwegian and Russian cultural workers will outline a strategy for a joint Norwegian-Russian cultural initiatives. Giske hopes that this can lead to the establishment of a joint cultural fund financed by both the two neighbouring countries.

In the meeting in Arkhangelsk there were also representatives from the EU-commission and state secretaries from Finland and Sweden.