Russian-Norwegian relations and the transformation of bilateral cooperation at the end of the 20th century (on the example of the Arkhangelsk region)

Abstract

The article deals with the restoration and changes of historical Russian-Norwegian relations in the European North during the transformation of the international order and the end of the bipolar world in the 1990s. The author defines the nature and specific features inherent in the Barents cooperation, reveals the historical stages of relations between Russia and Norway, as well as the prospects for further interaction between the above-mentioned countries. The relevance of the topic is justified by the need for a comprehensive study of the history of the formation and development of Russian-Norwegian cooperation in a period of changes in the international arena and the search for new areas of bilateral cooperation, taking into account the fact that a systematic study of the experience of Norway and Russia, which occupy a leading position in the Council of the Barents Euro-Arctic Region (CBEAR) is of great importance for assessing the current state and prospects for further development of relations in the region as a whole. In addition, the world politics of the late 20th — early 21st century was characterized by a trend of strengthening regional institutions and interregional cooperation. The focus of the BEAR was to provide comfortable conditions for a person living in the North. Accordingly, by maintaining a regular and mutually respectful dialogue, the participants in the Barents Cooperation consistently implemented various projects and developed a kind of “immunity to fluctuations in the international situation”, capable of isolating it from fluctuations in the geopolitical situation during the period under study. As an example of fruitful Russian- Norwegian cooperation, the paper analyzes cooperation between the northern provinces of Norway and the Arkhangelsk region in the fields of education, science and healthcare, as the most fruitful areas, with special attention to the development of cooperation within the BEAR.