On 27 April in Oslo, where the historic agreement on the delimitation of debatable areas in the Barents Sea and the Arctic Ocean was reached, Dmitrij Medvedev spoke not only about the relations of Russia and Norway.

At the press-conference concerning the outcomes of the negotiations he explained to the journalists how the preliminary preparations to the sensational agreement were hidden from media and why the price for the Black Sea Fleet base in the Crimea is not that high as might seem.

According to the agreement reached between Medvedev and Janukovich in Kharkov, the cost of the lease will comprise of “live money” in the amount of USD 100 million a year and discounts on gas supplied by Russia to the Ukraine. The RF Prime Minister Vladimir Putin stated in his comments on this agreement: “when calculated, ten years of acting of this contract gives some USD 40 – 45 billion”.

Dmitrij Medvedev said at the press-conference in Oslo with regards to the boundless price: “The price we pay for the base of our fleet is high, but not boundless”.

“It is not boundless because of the existing mutual strategic relations. We consider that such relations will continue for ever, that such relations are ageless, and subsequently, such friendship is accompanied with mutual understanding”, - clarified Medvedev the high price of the lease.

The Russian GosDuma and the Ukrainian Supreme Rada ratified on 27 April the agreement concerning the extension of the term for 25 more years of the Black Sea Fleet base in the Crimea following the 28^th of May in 2017 with the possibility for further extension of the agreement. Given the ratification went smoothly in Moscow, it was rather agitated in Kiev – with throwing of eggs and smoke explosives.

Material has been prepared by the Centre of Geopolitical Studies with reference to the article from «Утро.ru» of 27 04 2010

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