Murmansk Region and Iceland to expand cooperation in education and the fishing industry
© Murmansk Region government

Murmansk Region and Iceland to expand cooperation in education and the fishing industry

Governor of the Murmansk Region Andrei Chibis met with the new Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Iceland to the Russian Federation Arni Tor Sigurdsson. During the meeting, they discussed cooperation in the fishing industry and education, the regional government press service said.

The Murmansk Region and Iceland already have experience cooperating in these areas, in particular, fish processing enterprises in the region provide factories and plants with equipment and use the services of technical specialists from Iceland. In addition, an agreement on cooperation in higher and vocational education is in effect between the University of Akureyri and the Murmansk State Technical University.

During the meeting, Andrei Chibis said that there are plans for foreign teachers, including those from the countries of the Barents region, to visit Murmansk in 2020. He also expressed hope that scientists and teachers from Iceland would take part in this work, as it will be useful and beneficial to those Icelandic companies that cooperate with Russian ones in the Arctic. “It would be interesting to work together on creating joint laboratories, where, among other things, we could train specialists in those areas that are in demand for supplying high-tech equipment,” the governor said.

For his part, the ambassador recalled that Akureyri and Murmansk are twin cities, and agreed with the proposal to arrange a student and teacher exchange, emphasizing the relevance of the Arctic agenda. “It should be noted that Akureyri University is one of the largest scientific centers and universities studying Arctic issues, specializes in two areas – marine resource management and polar legislation. These are the areas in which we can further develop cooperation, and I will discuss this issue during my visit to the university,” added Arni Tor Sigurdsson.