Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg shake hands on their agreement.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg made a surprise agreement on the disputed area of the Barents Sea, an area rich in potential oil and gas now made accessible due to global warming.
After 40 years of negotiations, the two countries have agreed to evenly split the 68,000-square mile (175,000-square kilometer) disputed area after meeting in Olso.
Disputed zone in the Barents Sea
The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that some 90 billion barrels of oil and one-third of the world’s undiscovered natural gas lie hidden in the Arctic region.
The move comes as a shock to experts on Norway-Russian relations, who did not expect such an agreement to come.
“I wouldn’t have expected a deal. It’s so difficult for countries to give anything up,” said Indra Oeverland, a Russia expert at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs. “It’s a big step forward.”
The two countries have already begun developing the natural resources buried beneath the floor of the Barents Sea. The agreement looks to promote cooperation between the two countries’ energy sectors, with a potential joint venture between the Russian Gazprom and Norwegian Statoil.
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this is interesting, but could we please get back to the Obama citizenship issue?
http://danauer.blogspot.com/2010/04/blog-post_26.html
Yes, they agree that Russia will take Canada's arctic! Obama will be of no help!