Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
10OSLO63
2010-02-05 16:30:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Oslo
Cable title:  

FM Stoere Goes to Moscow

Tags:  PGOV PHUM PARM PREL SENV ECON EFIS ENRG RS NO 
pdf how-to read a cable
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O R 051630Z FEB 10
FM AMEMBASSY OSLO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0016
INFO EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 0001
RUEHNY/AMEMBASSY OSLO
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 OSLO 000063 

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
AMEMBASSY BERLIN PASS TO AMCONSUL DUSSELDORF
AMEMBASSY BERLIN PASS TO AMCONSUL LEIPZIG
AMEMBASSY ATHENS PASS TO AMCONSUL THESSALONIKI

E.O. 12958: DECL: 2020/02/05
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PARM PREL SENV ECON EFIS ENRG RS NO
SUBJECT: FM Stoere Goes to Moscow

CLASSIFIED BY: James T. Heg, Deputy Chief of Mission; REASON: 1.4(B)

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 OSLO 000063

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
AMEMBASSY BERLIN PASS TO AMCONSUL DUSSELDORF
AMEMBASSY BERLIN PASS TO AMCONSUL LEIPZIG
AMEMBASSY ATHENS PASS TO AMCONSUL THESSALONIKI

E.O. 12958: DECL: 2020/02/05
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PARM PREL SENV ECON EFIS ENRG RS NO
SUBJECT: FM Stoere Goes to Moscow

CLASSIFIED BY: James T. Heg, Deputy Chief of Mission; REASON: 1.4(B)


1. (C) Summary: MFA Deputy Director for Northern and Russian
Affairs Anne Kjesti Carlsen told PolOff February 5 that FM's
Stoere's February 2 trip to Moscow should be viewed as preparatory
work for President Medvedev's planned April visit to Norway. She
said discussions focused largely on efforts to increase economic
cooperation and to conclude up to twelve agreements in time for
Medvedev's visit; agreements ranging from new border regulations to
increased scientific cooperation. Carlsen said that the
Russian-Norwegian disagreement over Barents Sea territory is
continuing a "positive drive" towards resolution, while Stoere
expressed his dismay to Lavrov over the continued high levels of
pollution emitted by smelters in Russian town of Nickel, despite
significant Norwegian financing to address the issue. Carlsen said
that relations with the U.S. were not a topic of conversation.
Media reaction to the visit focused primarily on Stoere's criticism
of Russia's recent crack-down on human rights, and his raising with
Lavrov the concern over visas being denied for Norwegian Helsinki
Committee members. End Summary.



Medvedev to Visit Norway

--------------




2. Carlsen told PolOff that Stoere and Lavrov's discussion focused
primarily on sixteen bilateral agreements currently in development,
with the goal of completing between ten to twelve agreements in
time to be announced during Medvedev's visit. The agreements
include Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) on scientific cooperation,
meteorological cooperation, cooperation between Norwegian and
Russian police, energy efficiency and renewable energy, and
emission reductions. Another MOU in the works which Carlsen said

she expected to be completed in time would allow for visa free
travel for Norwegian and Russian residents living within a thirty
to fifty kilometer radius of the border between the two countries,
fostering increased economic activity. She explained that area
residents who had been issued specific cards could travel freely
back and forth between Norway and Russia, and would rely on the
police to catching card-holders if they strayed outside the
agreed-upon area. While some risks were involved, Carlsen said,
Stoere and Lavrov agreed that the benefits of increased cooperation
justified the risk.



Cooperation and Border Disputes

--------------




3. (C) Carlsen said that both parties stressed that while that
while the development of the giant Shtokman field hinged upon
whether or not it made commercial sense, overall broader
cooperation on industrial standards in the High North would
continue to be addressed. She said both Lavrov and Stoere
applauded the great reduction in illegal fishing problems in the
High North, noting that Lavrov in particular was satisfied to see
that significantly fewer Russian boats were being arrested in the
Norwegian Economic Zone.




4. (C) In regards to the on-going Barents Sea border dispute,
Carlsen said that the issue was discussed during a Lavrov- Stoere
"tete-a-tete" and she had not received a read-out on the meeting.
She did note a "continued positive drive in negotiations" to
resolve the dispute. She also said that Lavrov and Stoere agreed
to disagree on progress made to reduce emissions from the smelters
operating in the Russian city of Nickel, located just across the
border from Norway. She said Stoere informed Lavrov that the
"several years old" agreement between the GoN and Russian partners
in Nickel designed to reduce emissions had failed and that he
expected the Russian authorities to make an effort to control
emissions. Carlsen reported Lavrov offering that emissions from
Nickel had been reduced by 40%, to which Stoere responded that they
still remain five times higher than Norway's emissions.

OSLO 00000063 002 OF 002



5. (SBU) MFA's press release issued February 3 noted that the two
foreign ministers discussed High North cooperation, in particular
the Barents Sea fish stocks, environment and nuclear safety ,
border control, energy, and economic cooperation. They also
discussed the Middle-East, Afghanistan, disarmament, and
developments in Iran. Carlsen referred to the discussion on
international issues as more of a Tour d' Horizon, with significant
time devoted to the recent London Conference on Afghanistan that
both Lavrov and Stoere had attended. She added that the U.S.
relations with Norway and with Russia had not been discussed during
the meeting.



Norwegian Press Reaction

--------------




6. (SBU) Norwegian press on Stoere's Moscow trip focused
primarily on his criticism of Russia's recent crack-down on human
rights demonstrators. Stoere told reporters that he would take a
"tougher tone" than previously with Lavrov, and raised the recent
spate of visa denials for Norwegian researchers in general and
specifically for Norwegian Helsinki Committee members. Lavrov is
reported to have responded that that he would investigate the
situation.




7. (SBU) Press also reported that Stoere met with Memorial's
Svetlana Gannusjkina, recently nominated by Hoyre party leader Erna
Solberg for the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize. Stoere said it was
important to hear what she had to say, and to acknowledge her
courage and the courage of other human rights activists in Russia.
Stoere was quoted as saying Norway had a general uneasiness about
the state of Russia's civil society, adding that he had raised his
concerns with Lavrov.
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