BARVIKHA (Moscow Region), May 19 (RIA Novosti) - Norway's prime minister told Russia's president on Tuesday that the countries have shared interests in the natural gas sphere, and should work together to boost their market share in Europe.

Jens Stoltenberg, on an official visit to Moscow, told Dmitry Medvedev: "We are both northern countries, and have major shared interests; we are large producers and exporters of natural gas and electric power."

"This fact means that we are partners on the European continent. We have a shared interest in developing and expanding our potential on the European gas market," he said.

Norway has increased its role in Russian gas production in recent years.

Norway's StatoilHydro company holds a 14% stake in the company developing the Shtokman condensate gas field on the shelf of Russia's Barents Sea, with 3.8 million cubic meters of gas reserves.

Medvedev told the premier that the countries must coordinate their positions on claiming gas fields on the Arctic shelf.

"The development of the regions as a whole depends on how we form a close and coordinated position on the Arctic shelf gas fields."

"I consider this to be one of the most important areas of our cooperation," said the president, who until last year chaired Russian gas giant Gazprom.

Russia-Norway trade in the first two months of 2009 totaled $237 million, 36.4% lower than in the same period of last year. Russia's exports to Norway dropped 54%, and imports from Norway by 13%.