Norway's Ambassador Stresses Importance Of Neighboring Relations With Russia

Norway's Ambassador Stresses Importance of Neighboring Relations With Russia

Norwegian Ambassador to Russia Rune Resaland said on Tuesday that it was important to maintain neighboring relations with Russia as well as to keep contacts between the two countries' different institutions

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd December, 2019) Norwegian Ambassador to Russia Rune Resaland said on Tuesday that it was important to maintain neighboring relations with Russia as well as to keep contacts between the two countries' different institutions.

"Neighboring relations with Russia are important for Norway. We have many common interests, including those arising from good neighborliness in the north. Therefore, it is important that good contacts be maintained between various institutions, bodies and departments of our countries," Resaland said during a meeting with Konstantin Kosachev, the head of the Russian upper house's Foreign Affairs Committee.

According to the ambassador, there has been wide-ranging and successful cooperation between Oslo and Moscow over the past 25 years in such fields as fishing, ecology, the coast guard, search and rescue operations at sea, science, culture and education.

The ambassador also noted that despite the growing cooperation, there were significant political differences between the two countries.

"Now the political contacts between our countries are intensifying, and this makes it possible to talk about what we agree on and that we have different points of view," Resaland said.

In the ambassador's opinion, 2019 was an active year for bilateral cooperation.

"Regular consultations between the foreign and defense ministries of Russia and Norway have resumed. I think this is perceived as a mutually beneficial practice. And we attach great importance to continuing it," Resaland stressed.

Kosachev, in turn, highlighted the two countries' positive interactions in the Arctic.

"Fortunately, so far, problems [in Russia's relations] with the European Union and NATO have not affected our positive interaction in the Arctic. This is another topic of bilateral and multilateral cooperation," the senator said.

Kosachev added that there were many areas of shared interests and fields in which cooperation brought about mutual benefits for both countries.

However, the Russian official noted that Norway's move to join the EU in sanctioning Russian did not contribute to the development of bilateral relations.