Russian Premier: The Agreement on Nuclear Security in Barents Sea Region Will Be Signed Soon

Russian Premier Mikhail Kasyanov will participate today in the meeting of the Council of the Barents/Euro-Atlantic Region taking place in the Norwegian town of Kirkenes. The meeting is dedicated to the 10th anniversary of the Council and will be attended by the government heads of member-countries - Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Finland, and Sweden. Representatives from the EU Committee will also participate in the meeting. A declaration is supposed to be adopted during the meeting.

The Russian Premier expressed the hope that the participants would manage to bring considerably their positions on the nuclear security in the region together and that the countries-members will sign a multilateral agreement. According to Kasyanov, he already discussed the nuclear security in the Barents Sea region with Norwegian Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik during their meeting on Friday.

In March 1999, member-countries signed a declaration on principles of the multilateral nuclear-ecological program for Russian Federation. Currently, experts from member-countries are working on developing a multilateral agreement, which will expand the provisions of the adopted declaration.