Where Is Everyone?

             Where Is Everyone?

Sverre Jerell just got into town and he told his taxi driver to take him to his hotel. As Sverre looked around, he asked the taxi driver “Where is everyone?”. Not very many people were out in the streets and the promenade was empty. His driver replied that most of the residence had left and he would be leaving  very soon. The cab driver went on  to say that the economy was very bad, jobs were hard to find and no one got along with their neighbors, and were leaving.

 Sverre Jerell was on a mission to Norway’s northernmost city, Kirkenes. Kirkenes is located on The Bering Strait overlooking the water to territory controlled by the Soviet Union. Any tourist falling asleep while traveling on the Hurtigruten might wake up at the last port of the  northern route called Krikenes.The original name of the peninsula was Piselvnes, but this was changed to Kirkenes (meaning "church headland") after the Kirkenes Church was built in 1862.

Norway  Advisor  Jerell

Kirkenes on the Northern  Bering Straits

The year was 1992, and Jerell, acting as an advisor to his Norwegian foreign minister came to see if improved relations between the Norwegians and the Russians could be established. He had a plan to aid the area.

 

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This area was invaded and prized by the German invaders in WWII as an excellent seaport , supply center and landing site for German fighter planes. Norwegian underground partisans were very harshly treated by the Nazis until the end of the war when the Soviet Union became the new occupying force. They, in turn,had little respect for the Norwegians and tensions continued. During this time, the Norwegian government was subsidizing and encouraging the Kirkenes residents to remain and work, but when the cold war ended, and the Soviet Union collapsed, the subsidies were discontinued and the Norwegian residents began to leave.

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When the Cold War ended, the new Russian leaders  began overtures to surrounding countries. The Bering Strait area was a rich land of minerals, they needed trade, and talks began. Sverre Jerell represented the Norwegian government and was instrumental in founding a meeting of northern nations who, in 1993, met and signed the first  Kirkenes Declaration of international agreement between the USSR and its satellite countries and the Norway-USA. Conditions began to improve.

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Norway's Prime Minister Stoltenberg

 It is now June, 2013. A decade has past and the Council has reconvened to celebrate the successful venture. Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg played host to celebrations in Kirkenes, June 3rd and 4th to mark the 20th anniversary of international cooperation. The Barents cooperation has been important for building confidence and promoting stability in the northernmost areas of Norway. In connection with the celebrations to mark the 20th anniversary, a new Kirkenes Declaration was adopted, focusing on economic growth and sound environmental management across borders in the High North country.


Barents Summit Members, June 2013

 The Barents Euro-Arctic Region members are pictured,celebrating 20 years since the signing of the original Kirkenes Declaration. On stage are the prime ministers of Russia, Norway, Finland and Iceland, the foreign ministers of Sweden and Denmark, the vice president of the EU Commission and representatives from several observer states as they  met and signed the Kirkenes Declaration to “contribute to stability and progress” in the Barents Region.

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Stoltenberg and Russian Medvedev

The Russian Prime Minister  proposed creating joint funding projects in the Barents Euro-Arctic region “We have a good opportunity to implement joint programs and initiatives, including state and private partnerships. The emphasis on cooperation must be shifted toward specific projects,” Medvedev said Tuesday.

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Aile Javo, Sami Council President

When the new Kirkenes Declaration opened, Sami Council President Aile Javo was not  in attendance. Javo chose not to attend the Barents Summit, saying  "The new Kirkenes Declaration talks a lot about improving involvement of indigenous people in the Council, but doesn’t provide details of how this will be accomplished".."They're saying they want to strengthen indigenous participation in Barents cooperation, but they, of course, need to follow up with money so it's not just nice words on paper." The council addressed the Sami's concerns and pledged to give the Sami community a bigger voice in upcoming developements.

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A bilingual library in Kirkenes

Jerell originally was on a mission to establish organized representation of civil society in the Arctic countries. Cooperation between civil society groups have traditionally been one of the cornerstones in regional cooperation across the borders in the Barents Region.The past twenty years has seen several changes in attitudes and cooperation. Students from all countries are now able to travel and study  in neighboring country's schools. A library in Kirkenes is pictured with a sign in both Russian and Norwegian.

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Finnish Prime Minister Katainen

 "There are extreme opportunities for all of us," said Finnish Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen during the Summit in Kirkenes, Norway. "Today the region is facing both positive and negative implications of global warming and increased global demands for minerals, oil and gas," Katainen went on to say "This is why the Barents cooperation continues to be of upmost relevance even today."

So, apparently, enemies can become friends.

The only town in Norway where East meets West.

Kirkenes, Norway.