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Join us on April 20th, 2017 in Michalovce for the final conference of the project "Innovative information products in cross-border cooperation". Explore ideas for joint research and tourism in the borderlands of Europe. Funding from EEA Norway Grants, Government of the Slovak Republic, and Michalovce Municipality.
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Final conference of the project:“Innovative information products incross-border cooperation” SK08-CBC01025Funded by:EEA Norway Grants,Government of the Slovak Republic &Michalovce Municipality Michalovce, April 20th 2017 Some ideas for joint research and tourism in the borderlands of Europe Peter HaugsethAssistant Professor UiT NAU Campus Kirkenes peter.haugseth@uit.no Urban WråkbergProfessor of Northern Studies UiT NAU Campus Kirkenes urban.wrakberg@uit.no
Norwegian High North Strategy and the NO-RU Borderland:The emergingoflocalforeignpolicy. The approach • 1993:Geopolitical situation in theNorth aftertheCold War: The Barents Euro- Arctic Region. New relationshipbetween «territory and identity» = New knowledge/newinsights. Kirkenes declaration • 2006:The High North strategy was being addressed as the most important strategic priority area in the county’s foreign policy in the years to come. • This is also seen when priority areas are being outlined because it is competence and knowledge assigning to continuing good relations with Russia, sustainable management of natural resources, energy opportunities in the Barents sea, a sustainable approach to climate and the environment, improving the living conditions for the people’s of the north and in particular indigenous cultures are being addressed. • The High North agenda was thus introduced at different forums, conferences, workshops and meetings transferred to open public spaces. complex relationship between the strategy document, performative language and the transference of meaning through the politicians (2006-2011/2013).
LBT Zone (May 29, 2012) Simplified travel -November 2, 2010 Norwegian and Russian authoritessigned an agreementon LBT. -LBT arrangement active from May 29, 2012/ June 1. First border crossing -30 km Norwegian side/30-50 km at theRussian (Onlyurban areas) -20 Euro (2010) (ex. infants/students/over 60 yrs) -9000 at the Norwegian side -45 000 at the Russian side (In practice: Less people/Security zoneonlyobtainingnationalpassport) -Extending 3 monthstay per 6 months -15 daysbeforereturning -Issued an ID card valid for 3 years (NO) -ID sticker in thepassport (RU) -Lived 3 years in theborderzone (Not onlylimited NO and RU citizens/thirdcountires) LBT. Not residence- or workpermit (visa freezone…) Major step forward: No invitationsneeded! -Restrictedmilitaryterritories has beenopened at the Russian side ofthe Border (Kursonovo/Loustari) -LBT Zone/2017. Includeswhole «Neiden» RU:Schengen «Pomor» visa. 2008: Multipe «Pomor»Schengen visa 2010-2011: Schengen visa easy to obtain
NO-RU Border Crossings at Storskog-Boris Gleb • 1990: 3000 • 2007: 108 000 • 2008: 104 500 (High North strategy “Soft security”) • 2010: 141 000 (Schengen “Pomor”visa) • 2011: 196 000 • 2012: 252 000 • 2013: 320 000 • 2014: 318 000 (EU sanctions) • 2015: 243 000 (Rubel, roads, attitudes etc.) • 2016: 220 000 • 2017: Up 20 % • Mostly BC by Russians (85%) • On a Saturday (2013-2014) not unusual 35-45 % of the cars outside local shops at 13:00 LBT • 6288 Norwegians with LBT/3500 Russians with LBT • (40 % (NO) use it actively, 2000-3000 persons) • 2013: 36 000 BC with LBT • 2016: 56 000 BC “ (Facebook groups) • 2016: 3379 February LBT BC NO/ 2144 LBT RU)
RU-NO Cross Border Days 2011-2016/High North regionbuilding (organized by thegovernmentof Murmansk Region/MunicipalityofPechenga District/Administration of Nikel) Topdown/bottom up: BEAR «People- to- people» approach: • New forum/connections: No-Ru MFA/Regional and localauthorities/businesses/people Dominant borderlandvisions/practical administrative/ co-existwithtourismdevelopmentperspectives: Speeding up/ promotion • Development of Border crossingpoints • More EfficientCustompractices • Visa regulations, 2011- • Development/renovationofroads • Exchange of Knowledge between LBT Schengen Borderlands (Ukraine, Kaliningrad, Polen) • Joint business/venturesdiscussions • Tourismdevelopment • «TouringPechenge» tourismpresentations/brandingtheplace • New Touristdestinations: Ambitiouslocal planning (local –regional authoritiesfrom 2013 (municipality) Sport facilities, Hotel, Improvingsign post/posters, localcaffes (Ru/nolanguagemenu). Maps/VisitPechenga.com/Google • Excursionsto Boris Gleb Church, PechengaMonestary, Korzonovo (Gagarin Museum), City excursion (newplaces). • Also part ofthegovernmentof Murmansk regions officialdevelopmentstrategies (2013-2014)
Northern Studies Off-shore oil and gasresources of Arctic Norway and NW Russia It is a multidisciplinary research and teaching subject that combines methods and knowledge from several field of social sciences, geo-economics and the humanities It studies technology and northern industry from a social and economic perspective, focussing on regional development and northern Russia We do comparative study on the cultural heritage of the borderlands of Europe We apply our research on cross-border collaboration and to promote innovative tourism
The business developer Sherpa Konsult prepared this map in 2010 for the North-Norwegian municipality of Sør-Varanger bordering on the Pechenga Municipality in Northwest Russia. It indicates Euroarctic sea-links and potential oil- and gas-deposits.
Reasons to develop borderland studies in north-eastern Scandinavia with a view towards Central Europe The geographical position: the northern end of the Norwegian-Finnish-Russian border reaches the Barents Sea on the longitude of Istanbul Long distances to centres of administrative and political power It is an ancient religious borderland between the Russian Orthodox and the Evangelical Churches It has certain traits in common with Central Europe during WWII with occupation, deportation and extensive infrastructural devastation The reconstructions after the WWII exhibit many interesting similarities and differences in terms of e.g. the policies applied to older traditions in the regions and the re-making or denial of local and cross-border cultural heritage It was a divide with closed borders during the Cold War not only geopolitically and militarily but also economically and with regard to trade and investments The regional history contains many contested issues and omissions which motivate joining the European discussion on how collective memory is formed and the need to speak about competing “writings of history” rather than one master story of “history as it really was”
R&D Partnership in Tourism and Heritage Study The main objectives of this work are: • To establish research and student exchange in borderland heritage study • We develop a knowledge-base for recreation routes in northern Scandinavia and NW Russia with branding and marketing potential • Comparative studies with the southern Baltic Sea region: Klaipeda in Lithuania, Eastern Slovakia, Transcarpathia in Ukraine
Regions studied by the Northern Studies Research Group (NSRG): • The Russian-Norwegian Subarctic borderland • Lithuania: Klaipeda and the borderland of the Curonian Spit • Eastern Slovakia, Transcarpathia
The reconstructed monastery ofSt. Triphon of Pechenga,Murmansk Oblast, Russia
Foreign visitors at the St. Triphon monastery shop “negotiating” on whether or not to understand the publicly open premises of it as a tourism site and the items in its shop as souvenirs.
The uses of post-Soviet heritage in tourism • Tourism meanings, uses and values based on case studies: • The reconstructed monastery of the Holy Saint Triphon of Pechenga • The mining museum in Kirovsk: The museum presentation of “heroic” Soviet Arctic industry
Guide and visitors at the Kirovsk mining museum “negotiating” on how to understand the heroic Soviet building of a “good life” in the raw material producing periphery of Europe
Regions studied by the NSRG: • The Russian-Norwegian Subarctic borderland • Lithuania: Klaipeda and the borderland of the Curonian Spit • Eastern Slovakia, Transcarpathia
Klaipeda contested historical sites: «Hindenburg Platz». Contemporary photo
Resurrected capitalism: the Klaipeda office of DNB The Bank of Norway in 2014
Erased spaces made visible again in the city-palimpsest. The empty but well-marked place of one of Klaipeda’s destroyed churches, contemporary photo
Regions studied by the NSRG: • Heritage sites in Arctic tourism on Svalbard
Group of independent trekking & kayaking tourists on being picked-up from their temporary camp in a desolate fjord on Svalbard, September 2015
Tourists and cruise ships in Magdalene fjorden on Svalbard, 2011
The Northern Sea Route &Asian tourism in northern Norway The Centre for High North Logisticslocated in Kirkenes, provides quality information of use to international Arctic shipping, they and the NSRG are partners in the new UiT NAU initiative Centre for Sustainable Arctic Tourism which focus customers in South-East Asia