Treaty between Norway and Russia to be signed

Norway and Russia will sign the Treaty concerning Maritime Delimitation and Cooperation in the Barents Sea and the Arctic Ocean in Murmansk on 15 September.

The treaty will be signed by Foreign Ministers Jonas Gahr Støre and Sergei Lavrov, and Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg and President Dmitry Medvedev will attend the signing ceremony.

“I am glad that we are able to sign the agreement at such an early date. This will be a historic occasion, after many years of negotiations culminating in agreement on the most important outstanding issue between Norway and Russia,” said Prime Minister Stoltenberg.

The agreement establishes the maritime boundary between Norway and Russia in the Barents Sea and the Arctic Ocean. It also includes provisions on the continuation of fisheries cooperation and cooperation on the management of any oil and gas deposits that extend across the delimitation line.

After the treaty has been signed, it will be submitted to the Norwegian Storting and Russian Duma for ratification. The text of the treaty will be made public when it is signed.