Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s message of greetings to participants and guests of the 15th Kirkenes Conference

Unofficial translation

I would like to extend my heartfelt greetings to the participants and guests of the 15th Kirkenes Conference on aspects of the social, economic and industrial development of the High North.

Over the years, the forum has asserted itself as one of the leading platforms for the constructive and depolitiсized discussion of the pressing issues of international cooperation.

This enabling environment is due to the well-established traditions of mutual assistance and good-neighbourly relations in this part of the Arctic, as well as the unprecedented level of cross-border interaction. The unique "two-tier structure" of the Barents cooperation allows us to identify most promising areas for our concerted efforts and balance the priorities of states with the interests of particular regions in the best possible way.

It is clear that the fight against the spread of the coronavirus infection adds a new dimension to regional cooperation. Joint work in health care, as well as facilitating the post-pandemic recovery are currently on the agenda. We welcome the active work on these tracks within the Barents Euro-Arctic Council and the Barents Regional Council.

We hope that the multilateral Barents cooperation will keep its pace and further contribute to maintaining trust, stability, and good-neighbourliness in Northern Europe. Today's meeting seeks to contribute to this task. I am convinced that it will be held in a business-like atmosphere and will prove very fruitful.

I wish you success in your work and all the best.

SERGEY LAVROV