An international conference on the development of the transport infrastructure of the Barents Euro-Arctic Region opened here on Thursday, with transportation specialists from Russia, Norway, Finland, and Sweden participating, Itar-Tass reports.
Alexander Makarov, First Vice-Governor of Murmansk Region, said at the opening of the conference, "Good partnership business relations have developed between the northern regions of our countries in many branches of the economy. Good prospects for cooperation are also opening up in the transport system. By developing these relations, we shall ensure profits to businesses and a modern transport infrastructure to the regions".
Thor Kristian Andvik, manager at Norway's major Statoil Hydro Company, also emphasized the importance of giving greater scope to the mutually beneficial cooperation in Northern Europe. He believes that without developing the transport system of the Polar Region it is impossible to implement grand projects aimed at developing oil and gas deposits on the Arctic shelf, including the unique Shtokman gasfield, in the development of which his company will participate in conjunction with the Gazprom.