Ten years ago on January 11, 1993 in Kirkenes (Norway) the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Norway, Denmark, Iceland, the Russian Federation, Sweden and the representatives of the European Union signed the Kirkenes Declaration – a co-operation agreement in the north of Europe. According to the agreement the international regional organization – the Barents Euro-Arctic Region (hereinafter BEAR) was established. Every year at the Barents Council’s meetings the ministers consider coordination of co-operation at the governmental level. The BEAR covers counties of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia, which have a territory north of the Arctic Circle.

On the same day as the BEAR was established, the regional representatives together with the representatives of the indigenous Saami people signed the regional co-operation agreement and the Regional Council was established. As states have assumed, the participation of indigenous people in decision-making concerning their interests is becoming a generally recognized standard in the international law. At present the Regional Council unites 13 counties. From Russia there are Murmansk and Archangelsk Regions, Nenets Autonomous Okrug (area), the Republic of Karelia and the Republic of Komi. The status of indigenous people in the region was given to the Nenets and the Vepsian people.

According to the founders’ conception, the BEAR considered becoming a region of the stable and progressive development in Europe. First of all it encouraged the Nordic countries’ support of economic reforms implemented in Russia, development of democracy, orientation to the realization of various projects mainly in the Russian part and thus it would contribute to the social welfare of the BEAR population.

The following priority fields of the co-operation were set - environment and public health, economy, education, transport, trade, science and culture. It was emphasized that measures taken for the region development must take into consideration the interests of the indigenous people and arrange their active part in this process. The regional working groups except the working group of indigenous people (hereinafter WGIP) are fulfilling the work in each of these tendencies. The WGIP consists of the representatives of the Saami of Norway, Finland, Sweden and the Russian Federation, the Nenets of the Nenets Autonomous Okrug and the Vepsian people of Karelia. The WGIP is distinguished from other regional working groups by the fact, that it has an advisory role in questions concerning the co-operation with indigenous people to both the Barents Council and the Regional Council. In 2003 the Barents Indigenous Office was established in Murmansk.

Jubilee is always a date, when you review results, achieved during the 10 years, and define future prospects. What has happened for the last ten years? What are the prospects for future now? Delegations of the Nordic countries, the BEAR regions and their leaders, representatives of the most important international organizations of indigenous people took part in the jubilee celebration. The delegation of Karelia was headed by the Head of the Republic of Karelia Sergey Katanandov.

Admittedly Norway was the leader in establishing contacts in all tendencies of co-operation. The Barents Secretariat is situated in Kirkenes. Its former leader Mrs. Oddrunn Pettersen visited not only the capitals but also all parts of the Russian BEAR regions. She was in the Vepsian National Volost. Her book “The Vision That Became Reality, The Regional Barents Co-operation 1993-2003” was published for the 10th anniversary. Unfortunately, Oddrunn Pettersen died a month before the 10th anniversary of the Barents region.

Torvald Stoltenberg, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Norway, is considered to be the most consecutive founding father of the BEAR. He considers that organization of the BEAR is very important for the Nordic countries. It serves as a channel of interaction between them and Russia. In his opinion, the rates of co-operation development surpassed all expectations. The coming of Michael Kasyanov was considered as a fact of a rapt attention of Moscow to the Barents co-operation. He said that they hoped to stir up their work in international organizations in order to establish conditions for stable development of indigenous people of the northern regions.

The outside attention to the BEAR is caused by the considerable nature resources of the region. The Russian part of the BEAR has the huge energetic potential. That is why it can be called the region of the future. But an active use of nature resources generates a lot of ecological and health problems. It can cause ambition conflict between industrial and political fields, which consider the BEAR as a golden vein of Europe, and the region people’s interests. The large extractive companies, unfortunately, stick to the well-known saying "we shouldn’t wait graces from the nature, to take them is our aim". But what will the future generations have? Especially, the indigenous people are worried about it. Their future directly depends on the natural environment’s state and the possibility of organization of the stable economic development.

On January 10 the members of the Regional Council signed the memorandum "Challenges for a New Decennium". They express their vision of co-operation aims for the future. They consider that cultural co-operation is most important. In this field the participation of the representatives of the Russian part can be very profitable. The program "Voices in the Barents Region", approved by the Regional Council, is an action plan on cultural co-operation in the Barents region in 2003-2006. This program is very promising for our young people, institutions and cultural workers, scientists, art workers, workers of public organizations. The Barents Regional Youth Program for the period 2003-2006 has already begun working.

The jubilee meeting suggests that the further co-operation in the BEAR depends on our activity. Will we be able to participate in the has-already-begun creation of our house called "The Barents Region"? Its base has already been laid. It seems to me that it is possible.

Zinaida Strogalschikova
"Kodima" January 2003