Decade of Barents Cooperation to Be Marked in Kirkenes, Norway, January 10, 11

The first decade of Cooperation of the countries of the Barents region will be marked in Kirkenes, Norway on January 10 and 11. Kirkenes is the place where the cooperation started on January 11, 1993.

The festivity is expected to be attended by the Prime Ministers Kjelle Bondevik of Norway, Anders Fogh Ramussen of Denmark, Paavo Lipponen of Finland, Joran Persson of Sweden, David Oddsson of Iceland, Mikhail Kasyanov of Russia, and representatives from the European Commission.

According to Irina Kotsova, Director of the Murmansk Barents Information Centre, also invited to attend have been representatives from the regions and provinces of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia, delegates from the native peoples of the region, and Torwald Stoltenberg, the former Foreign Minister of Norway who was instrumental in starting the Barents Cooperation.