News

Norwegian Foreign Minister about old nuclear subs and Nikitin case

Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Thorbjorn Jagland.

Publish date: May 22, 2000

Written by: Andrey Korolev

The issue of nuclear submarines decommissioning at the Kola Peninsula was discussed between foreign ministers of Russia and Norway last Thursday at the meeting in Moscow.

“I believe that this issue today is especially important not only for Russia and Norway but for the whole Europe as well,” emphasised Mr. Jagland, Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in Murmansk before he embarked to Moscow.


Mr. Jagland also said that “he had already raised these questions” at the meetings with U.S. State Secretary Madeleine Allbrightt and EU representatives, and on Thursday “will discuss that with Igor Ivanov, Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs.”


Mr. Jagland stressed the importance of multilateral and trilateral cooperation in the northern Russia. He also added that “bureaucratic, administrative and political problems” were the roadblocks which “should be eliminated”, and participation of the United States is “one of the necessary conditions for solving this [submarine decommissioning] problem”.


Commenting on the results in the Nikitin trial, Mr. Jagland said that the end of Nikitin case would strengthen the environmental activity of the Norwegian side in Russia. He also underlined that Nikitin’s acquittal “is very important for Russia as a state with the rule of law.”


Alexander Nikitin, the employee of environmental foundation Bellona, was charged with high treason and disclosure of state secrets for writing a report about radioactive waste hazards in the Russian Northern Fleet.


On December 29, 1999, the City Court of St. Petersburg acquitted Nikitin. This verdict was reaffirmed by the Russian Supreme Court on April 17, 2000.

More News

All news

The role of CCS in Germany’s climate toolbox: Bellona Deutschland’s statement in the Association Hearing

After years of inaction, Germany is working on its Carbon Management Strategy to resolve how CCS can play a role in climate action in industry. At the end of February, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action published first key points and a proposal to amend the law Kohlenstoffdioxid Speicherungsgesetz (KSpG). Bellona Deutschland, who was actively involved in the previous stakeholder dialogue submitted a statement in the association hearing.

Project LNG 2.

Bellona’s new working paper analyzes Russia’s big LNG ambitions the Arctic

In the midst of a global discussion on whether natural gas should be used as a transitional fuel and whether emissions from its extraction, production, transport and use are significantly less than those from other fossil fuels, Russia has developed ambitious plans to increase its own production of liquified natural gas (LNG) in the Arctic – a region with 75% of proven gas reserves in Russia – to raise its share in the international gas trade.