Brende is scheduled to attend The Arctic: Territory of Dialogue International Forum on March 29-30 in the city of Arkhangelsk in Russia's north. This event will mark the foreign minister's first visit to the country since Oslo imposed sanctions against Moscow in 2014 and halted political contacts.
"We are going to strengthen cooperation in the joint management of fish reserves, in nuclear security, coast guard activities, search and rescue, we are also going to maintain the established contacts that we already have on a political level between the countries," the Norwegian foreign minister said, as cited by the news outlet.
Russia and Norway have shown many examples of successful cooperation over recent years, including the agreement on nuclear security and expansion of the visa-free area for residents living along the nations' shared border to include the village of Neiden, Brende added.
Brende received an invitation from Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to attend a business lunch in Moscow on Wednesday alongside their counterparts from Sweden, Denmark, and Iceland. The talks will mainly be devoted to the fight against the Daesh terrorist group, outlawed in Russia and in the European Union, as well as the settlement of the crises in Syria and Ukraine.
The topic of this year’s The Arctic: Territory of Dialogue International Forum forum will be "People and the Arctic." The forum will bring together international organizations, government bodies, scientists, and business community members to discuss such issues as the development of international cooperation in the Arctic region, consolidation of efforts to ensure the region's sustainable development, and improvement of the living standards of Arctic inhabitants.
