Mr. Store has previously confirmed that the more than 30 year long negotiations are proceeding and that a deal is within sight. The disputed zone is believed to conceal major amounts of hydrocarbons and is a vital economic and political issue for both countries.
In the months ahead, the two foreign ministers will have more chances to discuss the issue. Minister Støre confirms that he will meet with Mr. Lavrov in late October in a Northern Dimension summit. He might also go to Moscow before the end of the year, the ministry press service reports.
Mr. Støre last week had a 20 minute talk with Russia’s Sergey Lavrov in New York, in connection with the UN General Assembly’s annual ministerial meeting.
The meeting was their first after the crisis in Georgia. Minister Støre told his Russian counterpart that Russia for a long time might have to struggle with the consequences of the war, by most western countries seen as an excessive use of power.
Last time the ministers met was in Kirkenes (Norway) and Murmansk in early June this year. Then, they agreed on the introduction of a socalled border certificate for the people living in the two countries’ borderlands, a certificate which will facilitate cross-border travel and trade between the neighbouring border municipalities.
Se the foreign ministry’s video interview with Jonas Gahr Støre
