Several towns at borders in central and northern Europe have joined pairs to intensify cross-border collaboration. They have also formed the City Twin Association to further their interests and to exchange ideas. Kirkenes in northern Norway and nearby Russian town of Nikel have recently signed a memorandum declaring their intention to develop their joint projects in the spirit of European twin cities.

Below are links to debate articles and publications that can be read or down-loaded from the Internet. The have been written, edited or co-authored by Barents Institute scholars and staff. For BAI research articles see listings under the section "People" on this web site.

The language practices and identity of the Russian speaking minority in Kirkenes have recently been studied by the sociolinguist Anastasia Rogova. This MA research project was based on a collaboration between the European University at St. Petersburg and the Barents Institute. The report is open-access published here at the Barents Institute website

The cultural programme of the Barents Institute regards cultural exchange as a means of building alliances in the far north. It takes a special interest in the border-land between scholarship and creative art. In January 2007 it published a DVD on the 2006 Kirkenes international art workshop Connection Barents.