KIRKENES (Norway). Oct 25 (Interfax) - The state border between Russia and Norway is the most peaceful border in Europe, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in his speech at the opening ceremony of an exhibition of old maps devoted to the 70th anniversary of the 1949 treaty between the Soviet government and the government of Norway on the Soviet-Norwegian border and the procedures for settling border conflicts and incidents.
Before the ceremony began, Lavrov and Norwegian Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Soreide raised their glasses to "the treaty and the common border," which "unites" the countries.
Lavrov said the Russian-Norwegian border was the first border in Europe and was legalized and established back in 1326.
The end of World War II did not cause any territorial disputes between Russia and Norway, he said.
"There was a need to sign a formal agreement, which was done in 1949," Lavrov said.
"Essentially, the borders have existed for a little less than 700 years, and various things happened on both sides of the border in those 700 years, but the neighboring peoples who live here have never crossed this border with hostile, invasive, or other ill-intentioned goals," he said.
"Historians say it is the most peaceful border on the European continent, and maybe not only on the European one," Lavrov said.
The Russian foreign minister is visiting Kirkenes to attend the celebrations of the 75th anniversary of the liberation by the Red Army of East-Finnmark from Nazi occupation.