Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre has been an ardent proponent of the Barents Cooperation. During his tenure as foreign minister in the period 2005-2012, the regional cross-border cooperation became a cornerstone in his plan of rapprochement with Russia. […]
The Barents Cooperation as once envisioned by Støre has wrecked. Following the full-scale onslaught on Ukraine, Russia was suspended from the Barents Council. Later, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced its formal exit from the structure.
But government officials in the remaining Nordic countries still cling on to the structure that has been built over the past 30 years. They now brand the Barents Cooperation as a Nordic initiative, and ardently insist that cross-border and people-to-people cooperation can proceed smoothly without Russia. Läs artikel