Annual Kirkenes conference was open on February 12, 2020. Over the course of two-day event participants discussed the current geopolitical situation in the Barents region, objectives and mechanisms of the territory development, prospects of the international cooperation in the Arctic, security and emergency preparedness, climate, energy, and other relevant issues.
The event was attended by the representatives of the authorities of national and regional level, as well as organizations and companies from Norway, Russia, Finland and other countries. The conference was held with a high level of representation: welcoming speeches were delivered by the State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Norway Audun Halvorsen, State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland Nina Vaskunlahti and Director of Department of the state policy and regulation in the field of Hydrometeorology, studying of the Arctic, Antarctic and the World ocean of the Ministry of natural resources and environment of the Russian Federation Sergey Khrushchev.
Murmansk region was represented at the conference by the Deputy Governor Olga Kuznetsova. On the conference first day Olga Kuznetsova made a report «Murmansk region as a key player in the development of the Arctic», which was focused on the promising Arctic project such as the Murmansk transport hub, specialized terminal for transshipment of mineral fertilizers, centre of the construction of large marine structures, and construction of a wind farm in the Kola area.
The Chairman of the Murmansk Regional Duma Sergey Dubovoy, head of Murmansk city administration Evgeny Nikora, head of the Pechenga district Aleksandr Morozov and the Deputy minister of economic development of the Murmansk region – head of the external economic relations, cross-border and interregional cooperation department Ilya Ostapchuk took part in the conference.
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12 February 2020
