Norwegian PM Visits MoscowOn the final day of his visit to Russia, Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg said Tuesday that he had brought Russian officials a package of proposals on joint responses to naval accidents such as the explosion and sinking of the Kursk nuclear submarine, Russian media reported.The Norwegian leader was also interested in increasing bilateral cooperation in developing energy, fisheries and environmental protection, he told reporters on arrival in Moscow on Monday evening. Stoltenberg met Tuesday morning with Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov, and Russian President Vladimir Putin was scheduled to receive him in the Kremlin later Tuesday. Norway's ministers of defense, environmental protection, railways and transport accompanied Stoltenberg to the Russian capital. In spite of improved ties following the end of the Cold War, the two northern neighbors are divided by a number of disputes. Moscow has objected to proposed Norwegian environmental restrictions on activities on the Arctic Svalbard archipelago, which Oslo controls but where other countries are allowed to conduct non-military activities. Russia operates a mining company on one of the islands, Spitsbergen, and about 900 Russians live in a mining town there. Norway is concerned about nuclear waste on the Kola peninsula, where northwestern Russia borders Norway and where more than 100 aging nuclear submarines are stored at Russian Northern Fleet bases. Most are rusted hulks, often with nuclear fuel on board, according to Bellona, a Norwegian environmental group. ITAR-Tass and Russian state television said Stoltenberg intended to propose establishment of joint early warning systems and rescue operations to respond to crises such as the sinking of the Kursk nuclear submarine last summer. |
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