The Norwegian parliament Storting on Tuesday ratified a deal reached between Norway and Russia last April on the demarcation of maritime border in the resource-rich Barents Sea.
Commenting on the unanimous decision by Norwegian lawmakers, Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Store said that the pact, which was signed by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg, will further strengthen cooperation between the two neighboring countries.
The Russian legislature Duma has yet to approve the agreement.
Store said that he is sure the Russian ratification will happen in the not too distant future.
The deal, which was made during Medvedev’s visit to Norway and signed subsequently in Murmansk last September, removed a 40-year- old thorn in the relations between Norway and Russia.
Under the agreement, the disputed waters of 175,000 square km on the Barents Sea will be divided into roughly two equal parts.