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26 Apr, 2010 15:30

Medvedev discusses Arctic maritime border in Oslo

Russia and Norway are moving closer to agreement in a long-running maritime border dispute in the energy-rich Arctic region.

The issue was discussed during Dmitry Medvedev's first day of his visit to Oslo, where he was invited by the King to meet top business leaders and politicians. More talks on the subject are expected to take place on Tuesday.

The two countries are vying with the US, Canada and others for control of the rich resources in the Arctic.

The region could contain billions of barrels of oil and up to 30 per cent of the world's undiscovered natural gas resources.

Norway says new security arrangements will be needed alongside any energy deal.

Russia and Norway have struggled for decades to resolve the dispute. Gradual steps in the negotiation process have so far seen the division of the maritime region near Waranger-fjord.

During a February meeting between Prime Minister Putin and Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg, both agreed that the negotiation process was on the right track.

When President Medvedev meets Prime Minister Stoltenberg on Tuesday he is expected to bring up the notion of possible cooperation in the field of energy and environment.

Medvedev’s visit takes place days before the upcoming 65th anniversary of the victory in WWII – a fact that has figured in his visit’s agenda. On Monday, Medvedev joined Norway’s King Harold V and Queen Sonja in laying flowers at the national monument for the Norwegian soldiers killed in the war.

Speaking during the ceremony Medvedev warned about the dangers of rewriting the history of WWII and reviewing its results.

“It is very important that in the future the truth about the war is kept unchanged, so that there are no attempts to rewrite history, as it is convenient for some politicians. Otherwise, we – Europe and the whole world – stand the chance to once again get into a big scrape.”

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