Mr Putin told the Norwegian entrepreneurs about Russian Government work to enhance Russia’s attraction to investment and improve the business climate.
He called on Norwegian partners to join the development of the fabulously rich gas condensate field on the Barents Sea shelf. As Mr Putin said, the total cost of the project was estimated at $15–20 billion. Its implementation would satisfy the demands for gas of almost all European importers of Russian hydrocarbons.
Mr Putin highlighted fishing, shipbuilding, transport, telecommunications and information technologies among others, as fields of Russian-Norwegian partnership that retained a considerable potential.
The leaders of the Russian companies VimpelCom and Alfa Group and of the Norwegian Telenor signed an agreement to establish a telecommunications company in the presence of Mr Putin and Norwegian Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik. The joint venture promised reliable cell telephone communication in many parts of Russia.