Lavrov: Barents Secretariat important
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during his visit to Kirkenes, Norway, today, said that the Barents Secretariat is important for the Barents Cooperation and for the implementation of new projects in the region.
In his meeting with the Norwegian Barents Secretariat and the new International Barents Secretariat, the Russian foreign minister highlighted the two institutions’ important role in regional project cooperation.
He especially emphasized the importance of regional business, social and environmental projects. He also underlined that Russia now is ready to contribute more in the projects.
The statement comes few days after Russia officially announced that it the next four years will contribute with 300 million EUR to project cooperation with the EU. As reported by BarentsObserver, the Russian regions will provide a major part of the funding.
The new Russian money is likely to benefit also non-EU member Norway, which is engaged in an extensive cross-border project cooperation with Russia along the Barents Sea coast.
The Norwegian Barents Secretariat in Kirkenes provides grants to bilateral Norwegian-Russian projects, while the International Barents Secretariat located in the same town was established earlier this year to help stimulate the multilateral Barents Cooperation.
Photo: Barentsphoto.com
