Members of national and regional parliaments of Sweden, Norway, Finland and Russia as well as Sápmi gathered last week in Haparanda, Sweden, to discuss transport infrastructure and connectivity in the Barents region. […]
In regards to the Barents region, cooperation with Russia has proved to be one of the most fruitful and concrete in addressing cross-border mobility issues.
Olga Epifanova, the Deputy Chair of the State Duma, noted that “integrated international transport corridor is the key to the complex development of the Northern Sea Route and the Barents region”. Keeping in mind that the NSR is expected to cater for 80 billion tons of cargos by 2024, coordinated operation of the cross-border transport network in the North becomes especially crucial for the future of the global market. She stressed that Russia is now working on the Murmansk transport nexus and “will do everything to attract as many partners as possible” in its infrastructure-building projects along the NSR. […]
The prospects of the railway traffic along the so-called New Silk Road with the cities of Xi’an, Kouvola, Haparanda and Narvik as main nexus points sparked particular interest in the twin-city of Haparanda/Tornio. Just as for China and its underdeveloped western region, the Swedish county of Norrbotten sees enormous opportunities for both regional and global development in this initiative. Läs artikel