Russia and Norway need to have an open dialogue, neighborly relations and the development of cooperation in various areas, Russian Ambassador to Norway Teimuraz Ramishvili said during a conference on Thursday
KIRKENES (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th October, 2019) Russia and Norway need to have an open dialogue, neighborly relations and the development of cooperation in various areas, Russian Ambassador to Norway Teimuraz Ramishvili said during a conference on Thursday.The Norwegian town of Kirkenes is hosting a conference dedicated to the 75th anniversary of northern Norway's liberation from Nazi occupation. The event gathers historians and politicians from both countries, including the Russian ambassador.
"My speech is aimed at building good-neighborly relations through the minimization, where it is possible, of the confrontational rhetoric [together] with the minimization of military preparations, creation of objective and friendly informational backdrop, anything else is a dead end. And we do not need dead ends, we need a two-way street, which is friendly, active, and with maximum openness," Ramishvili said.
He added that in the current complicated political climate, Russia and Norway must overcome their narrow-mindedness during their high-level meetings and help their countries' companies find new avenues of cooperation amid the complicated situation involving sanctions on Russia.
"In Russia, of course, people think that there is a certain fundamental contradiction in Norway's position [toward Russia], that on one hand [Norway] declares a dialogue [with Moscow], on the other, there is containment. Honestly, we prefer the Norwegian slogan 'High North - Low Tension," the ambassador explained.
He also touched upon the bilateral relations pertaining to the development of the Arctic, saying that there were no irreconcilable issues that require military solutions.
"There is no potential for conflict, be it the access to fossil resources, which could lead to a confrontation. We advocate international cooperation, based on the international law for the sake of the Arctic region's countries, and other nations interested in development and expansion in the Arctic," Ramishvili assured.
Finnmark, the northernmost county of Norway, was liberated during the Red Army's Petsamo-Kirkenes Offensive in fall 1944. The Norwegians honor those events and celebrate it every year.
On Friday, Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg, Foreign Minister Ine Marie Eriksen Soreide, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will visit Kirkenes for an official celebration.
