Russia, Norway not to agree on Barents Sea final delimitation.

Kirkenes (Norway), June 9 (Itar-Tass) -- The foreign ministers of Russia and Norway will not take a concrete decision on the delimitation of the disputed area in the Barents Sea, Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Store told Itar-Tass on the eve of a meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov here on Monday. Meanwhile, Store noted that some constant progress is observed in the negotiations on this problem. One of the recent achievements that the two countries ratified the agreement on the delimitation of the sea area in the vicinity of the Varanger fjord, he emphasized. However, the sides will not take a concrete decision on the delimitation of the disputed area in the Barents Sea (at the upcoming meetings in Kirkenes and Murmansk), the Norwegian minister said. Russia and Norway have been negotiating on the delimitation of the disputed area in the Barents Sea since 1970. This zone totals 155,000 square kilometers. Under the current estimates, large reserves of mineral resources, particularly oil and gas are concentrated in the disputed area.Russia believes that the border should pass along the Russian Arctic territories, while Norway believes the borderline should be at the equal distance from the coast for each country.