Features:
- Dmitry Medvedev’s remarks at the plenary session of the Barents Euro-Arctic Council
- Dmitry Medvedev’s responses to questions at the plenary session of the Barents Euro-Arctic Council
- Dmitry Medvedev’s responses to questions from journalists at a joint news conference of the heads of delegations of the Barents Euro-Arctic Council countries
On the eve of the Barents Euro-Arctic Council meeting Dmitry Medvedev met with Prime Minister of Iceland Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson and Prime Minister of Finland Jyrki Katainen.
Dmitry Medvedev’s remarks at the plenary session of the Barents Euro-Arctic Council
Dmitry Medvedev: Mr Chairman, prime ministers, ladies and gentlemen. First of all I’d like to express my gratitude to Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg for the excellent conditions that have been provided for our work, and to thank the residents of Kirkenes for their hospitality. It is very good that we have had an opportunity to experience different weather – yesterday it was unusual and today it is traditional. I suppose this is how it should be.
It is in this city that the representatives of Russia, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Finland, Sweden and the European Commission signed a declaration on cooperation 20 years ago. Since then the Barents Euro-Arctic Council has become an effective and essential mechanism of regional cooperation. The Council facilitates trust and a search for mutually acceptable solutions and ways of settling contradictions. One such way is well demonstrated by the document about which Mr Stoltenberg has just spoken. I’m referring to the Treaty on Maritime Delimitation and Cooperation in the Barents Sea and the Arctic Ocean that we signed with him not very long ago.
I’m convinced that our Council has very good prospects for more active work, for the implementation of joint programmes and initiatives, including those in the format of public-private partnerships. We must focus our cooperation on specific projects. We spoke about this with our colleagues during dinner yesterday. It is necessary to provide them with mechanisms of funding. The proposals of our delegation and of other countries were also discussed yesterday. At any rate there are plenty of positive examples in this sphere. I’m referring to the activities of the Council of the Baltic Sea States, and regional mechanisms like the Black Sea Bank for Trade and Development. We must analyse all this and make a choice. I suggest we instruct our foreign ministers to review this issue at the October session.
The development of transport communications is of major importance for enhancing competitive advantages. We also discussed this yesterday. We spoke about surface transportation, including new railways and, of course, the commercial development of the Northern Sea Route, which is the shortest link between Europe and the Asia-Pacific Region. Its freight traffic has increased ten-fold in the last three years and this is a very positive fact.
For its part, Russia will upgrade its coastal and port infrastructure and develop modern systems of monitoring, navigation and communications.
Easier transportation access to the Arctic territories creates favourable conditions for implementing large-scale investment projects, including those on raw materials, hydrocarbons and the continental shelf.
We proceed from the premise that the development of the Barents Region should rely on the principles of equilibrium, stability and the highest environmental standards. Quite recently, two month ago, many of us who are present here met at the productive Baltic Sea Forum in St Petersburg. We reached an agreement on implementing the St Petersburg initiative there. Today we are continuing this dialogue in Kirkenes.
We have proclaimed this year the Year of the Environment in Russia. Our experts are drafting a programme for eliminating the accumulated damage to the environment. We are continuing to engage in what we have called full-scale cleaning of the Arctic. We have already cleaned Alexandra Land and Bely Island. Cleaning works are underway on Graham Bell Island and the village of Anderma. Wrangel Island is next. We will continue this work in Russia by all means because we consider it very important.
In September Salekhard will play host to an international conference, titled The Arctic: Territory of Dialogue. Its agenda also includes environmental issues. We invite all those interested to attend it. Naturally, plans for the development of the Arctic mineral wealth should take into account the interests and rights of the indigenous people of the North. I believe the Council should continue giving priority to the preservation of their native environment, traditional way of life and cultural values, and should help them create the necessary socio-economic conditions for this.
Interregional ties between 13 administrative areas in Russia’s North-West, Sweden, Finland and Norway represent another dimension of our cooperation. In autumn the presidency of the Barents regional council will be transferred to our Arkhangelsk Region. We believe this regional approach helps us consider the interests and requirements of specific territories.
And, of course, most important is communication between our citizens. In this sense we have made a breakthrough during these 20 years – in 2010 Russia and Norway signed an agreement on the local border regime to facilitate travel for border residents. As a result, the number of border crossings has increased substantially. In fact, now we have to chance the capacity of border check points to make such crossings comfortable. Some 120,000 people have crossed the border at this section in the last five months of the year alone.
Easier travel rules encourage the development of tourism, small-sized business, and scientific, cultural and educational exchanges. We believe the transition to visa-free travel is in the interests of the Barents Region. This has already been mentioned. But this is an issue for other interstate and intergovernmental meetings. Finally, I’d like to thank you for your attention and once again convey my gratitude to the Norwegian side for their excellent organisation of this event. Thank you!
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Question (via interpreter): I’d like to ask you about the Northern Sea Route. What can you say about its commercial use?
Dmitry Medvedev: Thank you for this question. Of course, the Northern Sea Route gives our region a major advantage, and all of us should use it. We believe the most important goal today is to create a package of modern projects and up-to-date infrastructure in order to take full advantage of the commercial potential of the route.
I’ll quote just two figures – just two or three years ago its freight traffic amounted to about 300,000 tonnes a year, whereas now it has grown to four million tonnes. We consider 10 million tonnes to be absolutely normal but this figure can be even higher than that. The main thing is to create the necessary infrastructure and good conditions for its operation through concerted efforts. I think that for this route to justify itself, we should draft proper legislation. We have adopted relevant decisions – a programme for the development of the Northern Sea Route, as well as a plan for its management, which we endorsed in March. So all the prerequisites are in place and we hope that the route will build up its commercial advantages. I don’t think I need to explain to all those present what benefits the route offers.
Question (via interpreter): You said Russia suggests creating a financial instrument for the project on support for the Barents Sea region. What instrument do you have in mind?
Dmitry Medvedev: We discussed this issue at length at yesterday’s dinner when we endorsed the declaration. We tried to determine what this financial instrument could be like, because any talk about money spoils the mood. We suggested reflecting this point in the declaration for a reason, because we believe that without this instrument our partnership won’t be effective. We discussed several options. My colleague from Iceland proposed establishing a special investment bank for this purpose. Of course, it could be a bank. We suggest setting up public-private partnerships with the involvement of our governments and business people. If need be, we could also set up funds or use European financial institutions, as we discussed yesterday. In fact, they are already immersed in these projects. The idea has a very broad interpretation. The main point is to back it with money and this is a task both for the governments and business.
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Dmitry Medvedev’s responses to questions from journalists at a joint news conference of the heads of delegations of the Barents Euro-Arctic Council countries
Question: Are you concerned over Asia’s rapid expansion on the Arctic shelf? Are there any initiatives that would likely restrict the Asian presence in the Arctic and limit the right for oil and gas production in the region to the Arctic countries?
Dmitry Medvedev: Let’s be straight about this. There is no expansion for the time being – these are just horror stories. Naturally, all heads of the delegations and prime ministers of the Barents Euro-Arctic region agree that by virtue of international agreements, it is our countries that have the right to determine the main parametres of regional cooperation, including the use of shelf that belongs to our states.
At the same time we live in an open world and in some cases we in Russia consider useful, rather than dangerous, participation of other states, including those from the Asia-Pacific Region as observers. But I’d like to repeat that regional countries should adopt key decisions in this region. This is fair and conforms to the principles of international law.
Question (via interpreter): When this cooperation started 20 years ago, about 40 facilities were identified as dangerous for the environment. As far as I know, only some of them have been removed from the black list. What will you do to protect the environment in the future and now, in the era of production of oil and gas and other minerals?
Dmitry Medvedev: It’s always nice to answer second. Mr Stoltenberg (Jens Stoltenberg, Norwegian Prime Minister) said practically everything I wanted to say. I will just make two points. First, we have not wasted these years, and we have moved forward, although there were 40 facilities as you mentioned. The examples of what has been achieved have just been quoted.
Second, speaking about the damage to the environment and the need to protect nature against destructive influences, we understand that these are the most complicated issues when it comes to major projects. We are moving much faster in other areas of our cooperation, but environmental protection is the most difficult issue and it’s good that we are concerned about it and are making headway.
Question (via interpreter): We have heard in Helsinki more than once that some governments do not like the idea of Finland or Sweden joining NATO. Is their negative reaction due to these two states being in the North? What do you think about the balance of forces in the area of the Barents Sea in the future?
Dmitry Medvedev: Least of all did I expect to speak about the entry of some states to NATO. We have gathered to discuss other issues and we have a different agenda. But since the question was asked and it concerns the balance of forces, I’ll tell you that we have a rather simple position as regards some or other countries’ NATO membership – it is their own business. States decide to join NATO in accordance with their doctrine of national sovereignty. But for us NATO is not just some foreign structure, but an alliance with a certain military potential that can be directed against our state if events take an unfavourable turn. This is why we do not consider NATO’s advance to our borders in positive terms.
We understand the decision-making process and openly declare our position to our partners. We have a fairly effective mechanism of mutual relations with NATO. Nevertheless we believe that the entry of new states into NATO does not enhance stability. Accession of our neighbours to NATO will eventually upset the balance of forces and we’ll have to respond to this. This is the gist of our position.
As for a decision to join NATO or any other military bloc, this is a domestic affair of a state and it should follow the state's rules. This is what we think on this score.