A white paper entitled Opportunities and Challenges in the North (Report No. 30 (2004-2005) to the Storting) was presented to the Council of State today. In the white paper, the Government gives an account of the new opportunities and challenges Norway is facing in the northern areas and how it intends to address them with a view to securing political stability and sustainable development in the region.

The white paper describes the new opportunities, which are chiefly related to what are believed to be large petroleum reserves beneath the seabed. It also discusses the challenges posed by increased economic activity in the area, particularly with regard to the fragile environment.

“The northern areas are of great importance to Norway, not least because of the considerable natural resources found in the region. After a long period during which co-operation in the North virtually ground to a halt, the area is now characterised by dynamic change,” said Foreign Minister Jan Petersen.

The white paper focuses on the foreign policy aspects of Norway’s northern areas policy and describes how the Government, through bilateral and multilateral co-operation, will seek to safeguard Norwegian interests, maintain political stability and resolve cross-border issues. In the white paper the Government proposes a number of specific measures for strengthening and co-ordinating Norwegian policy in the North.

“Norway can best deal with this situation by means of a carefully considered, coherent policy that balances a number of different concerns. This policy must be based on clearly defined objectives and be as predictable as possible to the rest of the world. Norway’s northern areas policy must enjoy broad national support and be founded on extensive international co-operation,” said Mr Petersen.