Russia withdraws from Euro-Arctic rescue cooperation
The Foreign Ministry in Moscow announced on November 26 that it formally had terminated the agreement with Norway, Finland and Sweden on joint repose to emergency situations in the North.
The agreement from 2008 on Cooperation within the Field of Emergency Prevention, Preparedness and Response was the last part of the Barents cooperation that officially included Russia.
An formal statement on the withdrawal is posted on the Foreign Ministry’s portal.
The Barents cooperation was a multilateral set of regional and state partnership that was established following the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s. Not much of the cooperation lasted after full-scale brutal war against Ukraine in 2022 as the Nordic countries, like the rest of Europe, turned their back against the Russian regime. In April this year, Moscow said enough was enough and formally closed its participation in the Barents cooperation.
During the years, the participating countries have arranged nine joint rescue exercises, rotating between Russia, Finland, Sweden and Norway semiannually. The rescue cooperation has helped the participants understand the special climatical and geographical challenges rescuers face in the northernmost regions.
It has as well contributed to cross-border contacts in case accidents happens and international assistance is needed.
Although the multilateral cooperation with the Nordic countries now have come to an end, Russia maintain a special bilateral agreement with Norway on search- and rescue in the Barents Sea. However, no joint exercises have taken place in the maritime border area after 2022.
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: Finland sharpens Arctic stance as security pressures rise; Canada among key allies, CBC News
Denmark: Denmark, Greenland agree to build naval wharf in Nuuk amid growing Arctic focus, Eye on the Arctic
Finland: Finland’s border fence almost ready in Lapland, Yle News
Iceland: Iceland sees security risk, existential threat in Atlantic Ocean current’s possible collapse, Reuters
Norway: Suspected illegal Arctic border crossing from Russia to Norway, person detained, The Independent Barents Observer
Russia: Russia trains coastal attack scenario 30 km from border with Norway, The Associated Press
Sweden: Sweden looking for Canadian partnership to ramp up fighter, surveillance plane production, CBC News
United States: Russian warplanes detected flying near Alaska for ninth time this year, US military says, Eye on the Arctic
