The 2010 Norway-Russia Marine Boundary Agreement and Bilateral Cooperation on Integrated Oceans Management

Alf Håkon Hoel

doi:10.7557/13.2297

Authors

Alf Håkon Hoel Institute of Marine Research, Norway

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7557/13.2297

Keywords:

Boundary agreement, Barents Sea, Norway and Russia, Arctic

Abstract

More than three decades in the making, the 2010 agreement between Norway and Russia on a bounadry in the Barents Sea establishes a boundary, continues cooperation in fisheries, and lays the framework for cooperation on petroleum deposits straddling the boundary. The importance of the boundary goes well beyond the Barents Sea, as it demonstrated the capability of Arctic countries to resolve issues in a peaceful manner on the basis of international law. The agreement settles the most important outstanding foreign policy issue between the two countries and opens up new opportunities for cooperation. The article gives a brief overview of the agreement, the its negotiation and its implications at various levels of governance.

Author Biography

Alf Håkon Hoel, Institute of Marine Research, Norway

Alf Håkon Hoel is a political scientist and regional director of the Institute of Marine Research in Norway. He has held previous positions at the University of Tromsø, the Norwegian Polar Institute, NORUT - Northern Research Institute, and the Fridtjof Nansen Institute. His teaching has mainly been in international relations and public policy. Hoel ́s research interests and publications focus on international relations in marine affairs, with an emphasis on the Arctic. Recent publications include articles on Arctic governance, ecosystem approaches to marine management in the Arctic and international fisheries management.