The Border Municipality Is Fighting for Its Existence: “Anything Is Better Than Nothing” Kirkenes, Northern Norway (High North News): While the Norwegian government is rearming in the North and announcing increased military activity, local businesses are disappearing, and the population is declining, while top politicians are being flown in and out of the region with vague and sweet promises. "We do not need symbolic diplomacy," says the Mayor of Sør-Varanger municipality, that borders to Russia.
Swedish Company Buys Barel in Kirkenes, Northern Norway "It is very exciting that we can create engines for growth in Kirkenes that are attractive elsewhere in Europe," says owner and founder Geir Torbjørnsen, who is selling the tech company Barel to a Swedish investment company. The management and operations will continue in Kirkenes.
New Owners Expect to Complete Acquisition of Norwegian Arctic Mine This Year The Swedish mineral company Grangex expects to complete the acquisition of the Sydvaranger iron ore mine in Northern Norway during 2023. In an update from the company, several key figures for the planned mining operation are presented.
Norwegian Government Expects the Business Sector to Adhere to Sanctions The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has sent out a reminder about the sanctions which applied to Russian fishing vessels' port calls. Among other things, it is specified that only emergency repairs of Russian fishing vessels are allowed. This could severely affect one of the cornerstone businesses in the Norwegian border town Kirkenes.
"The Constant Calls for Port Bans Causes Great Uncertainty for Our Operations" Continued debate about port bans creates significant uncertainty for Kimek in Kirkenes, Northern Norway. "The challenge is that some parties cannot let this issue go. It leads to uncertainty for our operations, our employees, and for the community here," says CEO Greger Mannsverk.
Border Municipality Will Not Terminate Russian Friendship City Agreements The border municipality Sør-Varanger in Northern Norway is keeping its friendship agreements with the Russian cities Petsjenga and Severomorsk, but the cooperation will still be on hold. "We do not sanction against the Russian people," says Odne Stunes in the Finnmark Labour Party.
Former Mayor Rune Rafaelsen Returns the Russian Order of Friendship Received from Putin One of Norway’s leading figures in Norwegian-Russian cooperation, former Sør-Varanger Mayor Rune Rafaelsen (Labor), returns the Order of Friendship that he received from the Russian president in 2020.
Condemns Russia, Not the Russian People The Russian people are our neighbors, our family our friends and colleagues, says Sør-Varanger Mayor Lena Norum Bergeng (Labor).
Still Waiting for Sydvaranger Mine Decision Sydvaranger Mine is working on re-establishing mining operations. However, it is not yet clear when the new North American owners will make a decision about commencing the project.
Plans to Connect Continents through Subsea Fiber Cable in the Polar Ocean The Arctic Connect project will stretch across 11,000 kilometers in the Arctic through a subsea fiber cable aiming to connect the Nordics with Asia using high-speed internet. If all goes according to lan, the construction of the ambitious project will commence as early as next year.
