Helene Hellmark Knutsson started as Governor and Head of County Administrative Board of Västerbotten in August 2020. We asked the Governor to share her views in the capacity of the new Chair in the Barents Regional Council.
New face in the Barents Regional Council newly appointed Region Mayor Markus Hirvonen from North Karelia is hopeful about meeting his colleagues face-to-face soon
A speech at the annual Kirkenes Conference held digitally on February 17, 2021
For Margot Wallström Barents region is about people-to-people contacts, cooperation and great potential. It is about the stunning nature and the special environment that we must preserve – and that is what Sweden wants the world to pay attention to during its chairmanship of the Barents Euro-Arctic Council.
– Through joint efforts, we have managed to create a zone of confidence, stability and good-neighborhood relations in Northern Europe. That said, our multifaceted cooperation is resistant to fluctuations of political environment, says Sergey Lavrov, the Foreign Minister of Russia, about the main achievements of 25 years history of the Barents cooperation.
Back in the 1990's, Norway made the first initiative to establish international cooperation in the Barents region. In anticipation of the coming jubileum, Norwegian Foreign Minister Børge Brende shares his thoughts on the first 25 years of the cooperation.
Finland will become the Chair of the Arctic Council in May 2017. According to Soini the chairmanship will provide an opportunity to highlight areas that are important for the Barents cooperation.
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