Rune Rafaelsen, Mayor of Kirkenes, spoke on the problem at the city’s conference. He remarked that last year they had 5,500 refugees, and the situation was complicated. Presently, 6,000 Chinese tourists come from Finland. The situation has changed, and a new hotel is needed.
Berge Brende, Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs, remarked in his turned that there is a tourist boom in Norway now, and large groups of Chinese come to visit the country.
Speaking on the development of the international cooperation he stressed that alongside with tourism it will include trade, energy resources, technologies, science. Following him, all possible opportunities will be used for further development of scientific investigations, transport infrastructure and ports to make the north of the country attractive.