Norwegian Armed Forces and the Russian FSB Met for Border Cooperation Talks
Border posts along the Norwegian-Russian border, which is 197 kilometers long and under surveillance by both countries' border authorities. (Photo: Magne Kveseth/UiT)
On Tuesday, the chiefs of the Norwegian Joint Headquarters and the Russian FSB’s Border Directorate for the Western Arctic Region met in Kirkenes. "This meeting activity is important as one of the very few remaining communication channels between Norway and Russia," says the NJHQ Chief.
On Tuesday, Vice Admiral Rune Andersen, the Chief of the Norwegian Joint Headquarters (NJHQ), had a meeting with Major General Andrei Yuryevich Kudimov, the Chief of the Russian Federal Security Service's (FSB) Border Directorate for the Western Arctic region.
Chief of the Norwegian Joint Headquarters, Vice Admiral Rune Andersen. (Photo: Torgeir Haugaard/the Norwegian Armed Forces)
This regular protocol meeting within the Norwegian-Russian border cooperation was held in Kirkenes, located close to the Norwegian-Russian border. The Russian delegation arrived in Norway via the Storskog border station.
The Norwegian delegation also included representatives of the Garrison in Sør-Varanger (border guard), the Coast Guard, and the Norwegian defense attaché in Moscow.
The agenda included cooperation related to coast guard, border guard, and search and rescue.
"The meeting was characterized by a constructive, polite and professional dialogue. The basis for such talks is that we stick to an agenda specifically related to fisheries management, the situation on the border, as well as search and rescue. This is not an arena to solve the bigger challenges between Russia and the West," says NJHQ Commander Andersen to High North News.
Preventative
After the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2024, Norway, like NATO, suspended all military cooperation with Russia.
Bilateral cooperative activities in the aforementioned fields are shielded from this suspension.
The chiefs of NJHQ and FSB's Border Directorate have an annual meeting. Ahead of the meeting, the parties' representatives meet at a staff level to prepare for this leadership meeting.
Such dialogue can prevent accidents and misunderstanding between Norway and Russia.
"This meeting activity is important as one of the very few remaining communication channels between Norway and Russia, as well as between the West and Russia. We agree on the benefit of having this opportunity to meet, and we plan on continuing to do so," states Andersen.
Background
· The cooperation on the Norwegian-Russian border is based on a border agreement between Norway and Russia from 1949.
· The purpose of the agreement is to ensure orderly conditions at the border. It sets measures aimed at preventing conflict and incidents at the border and describes procedures for resolving conflict should it arise.
· The agreement facilitates open dialogue between the border guard forces and border commissioners at the Norwegian and Russian sides.
