OREANDA-NEWS. January 21, 2009. During her visit to Arkhangelsk today, Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister Elisabeth Walaas announced that Norway will reopen a consulate in the northern Russian city. Northwest Russia is important for Norway, the deputy minister highlighted.

During her visit to Arkhangelsk today, Ms Walaas announced the good news to regional authorities. The new consulate is expected to help further develop contacts and cooperation between the northern Russian region and Norway.

The new consulate is likely to become a unit under Norway's General Consulate in Murmansk.

Leader of the Norwegian Barents Secretariat, Rune Rafaelsen, who is accompanying the deputy minister to Arkhangelsk, says to BarentsObserver that the reopening of the consulate illustrates the importance of Northwest Russia and the Barents Cooperation for Norway. The Barents Secretariat has long called for the reopening of the consulate, and had this as a recommendation in a report from 2005.

Norway in the 19th century had a consulate in the city, but this was closed after the 1917 revolution and the coming to power of the Bolsheviks. Before that, northern Norwegian and Russian traders were cooperating closely in what has been called the Pomor Trade.

Arkhangelsk is also today a close cooperation partner for Norway. The region is involved in wide-reaching cooperation with the three northernmost Norwegian countries within the Euro-Arctic Cooperation, a platform for cross-border economic, political and public interaction.