Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre states to the regional newspaper Nordlys:
“Our task is to contribute to the large dialogue. This is what democracy is.”  When invited, he sketches what he concretely could envisage.

• A railwayline between Asia and Narvik
• A railwayline between Kirkenes and Nikel in Russia
• The establishment of the world’s leading climate laboratory at Svalbard
• The extension of oil- and gas pipelines from central Norway to Finnmark
 • The implementation of the highest environmental standards in the Barents Sea,
   an ocean of peace of cooperation.
• Simplified visa rules for travel to Russia.
• An equally good neighbour relationship between Norway and Russia as that
   between  the country and the other Nordic countries”

From a circumpolar perspective, the importance of Tromsø as a major national and international communication hub for traffic in the air and at sea increases. The ships of the Hurtigruta line sail along almost the entire Norwegian coast carrying passengers and goods. It transports 50 000 tourists on a round trip from Bergen to Kirkenes all through the year. From Kirkenes one should be able to pass on to the Transibirean railway, provided development proceeds in the direction wanted by the Foreign Minister.