Russia and Norway extended the Grey Zone Agreement

Russia and Norway have agreed to extend a provisional agreement on cooperation in fishery control and fishery regulation in the Grey Zone of the Barents Sea (the Grey Zone Agreement) to 1 July 2009, according to Pravda.

The agreement for a provisional arrangement to facilitate fishing activities in the Grey Zone was concluded between Norway and the former Soviet Union for the first time on 11 January 1978. Since that time the agreement has been extended for a year at a time. According to Russia's Information and Press Department of the nation's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the agreement is of great importance for the development of Russian-Norwegian cooperation in the sphere of joint management of fish resources of the Barents Sea.

The essence of this agreement is that in the area in question (known as the "grey zone"), both countries are to refrain from concluding inspection or from exercising any form of control over the other country's fishing vessels. It also contains provisions relating to how the parties are to treat third-country vessels.