Russia and Norway have plenty of common interests in the Arctic, and Norway is looking forward to continuing cooperation with Russia, RIA Novosti quoted Norwegian Ambassador to Russia Leidulv Atle Namtvedt as saying.

"Norway and Russia are maintaining close cooperation in the Arctic," Leidulv Atle Namtvedt said during his visit to Tomsk Polytechnic University. "We're working to continue this cooperation in the future, and we hope it will continue, primarily on environmental issues."

The Norwegian ambassador brought a delegation with him on his visit to Tomsk, including executives and academics from Norwegian universities, in a move to step up cooperation with local universities and explore the possibility of working jointly in various areas, particularly on the Arctic. Tatyana Savinova, coordinator of cooperation with Russia at the Arctic University of Norway (University of Tromso), told reporters that the two countries were closely cooperating on Arctic research, referring to an agreement on cooperation signed by the two universities.  She said that University of Tromso was studying the possibility of joint work with Tomsk Polytechnic scientists who are involved in Arctic research.

"I see (on a Tomsk Polytechnic Museum stand) the movement of Arctic ice, something that was a subject of research at Tomsk Polytechnic University as far back as 1906," Savinova said. "Today this work is of great importance. We have a laboratory which is engaged in this research. We can find many areas of research that are of common interest to us, particularly permafrost, ecosystems and climate change."