On June 29, Solveig Rossebø, Chargé d'Affaires d'Affaires of Norway in Moscow, was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry due to the situation around the delivery of goods to Russian settlements in Svalbard.
This was reported on the website of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
A diplomat from the Scandinavian kingdom was told about the unacceptability of blocking the supply of the Federal State Unitary Enterprise Arktikugol State Trust and the Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Svalbard.
“We demanded from the Norwegian side to resolve the issue as soon as possible.
They pointed out that unfriendly actions against Russia will inevitably lead to appropriate retaliatory measures, ”the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
In breach of contract
Deliveries to Russian settlements are traditionally carried out by trucks coming from Murmansk through the Storskog checkpoint in the city of Tromsø.
From there, the Bring ship leaves for the archipelago.
After the restrictions were accepted, the Norwegian authorities stopped the passage through Storskog.
As a result, since April 30, about 7 tons of products, industrial goods, equipment for ships and cars have remained at the Russian-Norwegian border.
Also, a large dry cargo ship from Murmansk, which in May was supposed to bring food, household chemicals, spare parts for snowmobiles and thermal power plants, did not come to Svalbard.
As of the end of June, the Russian settlements of the archipelago had not received 20 tons of cargo.
The question of the normal supply of Russians has already been raised before the governor of Svalbard and the Norwegian Foreign Ministry.
The Russian side calls for an exception to the sanctions policy, appealing to humanitarian considerations.
However, the Norwegian Foreign Ministry rejected the request of Arktikugol to allow the transportation of goods to Barentsburg, where the Russian settlement is located.
At present, the situation for the Russians is not critical.
For example, a food shortage that has arisen is replenished by purchases in Europe.
However, the guests of Russian settlements and the Consul General of Russia in Svalbard Sergey Gushchin fear that the actions of the authorities of the kingdom will not allow them to prepare for the harsh winter season and continue their economic activities.
“The blocked containers contain not only food, but also medical equipment, as well as components for cars and parts for an offshore barge that delivers diesel fuel.
If the cargo does not arrive, then the village will have to be mothballed after local diesel fuel supplies run out, ”RT Gushchin said earlier.
Russian settlement Barentsburg
RIA News
© Mikhail Voskresensky
According to the diplomat, the only possibility of supply in the current conditions is the delivery directly by Russian ships from Murmansk and Arkhangelsk to the port of Barentsburg.
However, according to the Consul General, these are rather expensive and inefficient ways of supply.
Today, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry, goods critical for the functioning of the trust and the Russian Consulate General are blocked at the Russian-Norwegian border, “including food, medical equipment, building materials and spare parts for vehicles.”
From Moscow's point of view, Norway's actions violate the Paris Treaty of 1920.
This document enshrines the sovereignty of Norway over Spitsbergen, but at the same time the archipelago was recognized as a territory with an international legal regime.
In particular, the agreement allows the signatory countries to carry out economic activities in Svalbard, freely enter its waters, use the local fjords and ports.
The USSR joined the treaty on May 7, 1935, and on February 15, 1947, the Norwegian Parliament adopted a resolution recognizing Moscow's special economic interests in Svalbard.
Commenting on the situation around the archipelago on his Telegram channel, Konstantin Kosachev, vice speaker of the Russian Federation Council, said that "the Norwegian authorities are trying to leave Russian miners without food."
The senator called such behavior immoral and violating human rights.
According to Kosachev, Oslo violates Article 3 of the Paris Treaty of 1920, which proclaims the principle of free transportation of goods, the movement of citizens and ships of the participating countries.
Coal mining in Barentsburg
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© Sergey Mamontov
According to the senator, this is not the first time that Norway has ignored the provisions of the document.
So, in 1977, Oslo unilaterally established a 200-mile "fish protection zone" around Svalbard, which now allows Norway to create obstacles for foreign states to fish.
Andrey Klishas, Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Constitutional Legislation, agreed with Kosachev's point of view about the violation of the Paris Treaty of 1920 by the Scandinavian kingdom.
According to him, Oslo's behavior calls into question its own sovereignty over Svalbard.
“I agree with Kosachev, but, transferring from diplomatic to legal, after the actions of Norway from now on, the sovereignty of this country over Svalbard is a big question,” Klishas wrote in his Telegram channel.
turn up the pressure
Earlier, the Russian Foreign Ministry repeatedly drew attention to Norway's actions in Svalbard that are unacceptable from the point of view of international law.
So, in early February 2020, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Paris Treaty, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov sent a letter to his Norwegian colleague, in which he outlined Moscow's position and proposals.
The head of the Russian Foreign Ministry called on Oslo to follow the spirit and letter of the Paris Treaty in terms of ensuring "equal free access to the archipelago and opportunities to conduct economic activities there on conditions of complete equality."
According to Lavrov, the Norwegian authorities have taken a number of discriminatory measures against Russians in Svalbard.
In particular, he mentioned a "fish protection zone", obstacles to the use of helicopters and "artificial expansion of nature protection zones to limit economic activity in the archipelago."
However, Oslo refused to hold any consultations with Moscow on Svalbard.
According to experts interviewed by RT, Western sanctions served as a pretext for Oslo to increase pressure on the Russian settlements of Svalbard.
Analysts are confident that the strategic goal of the Scandinavian kingdom is to minimize the presence of the Russian Federation in the archipelago.
"The main task
Norway - to try to oust Russia from the territory in which it legally carries out economic activities, ”said Vladimir Bruter, an expert at the International Institute for Humanitarian and Political Studies, in a comment to RT.
According to the analyst, Norway grossly violates the 1920 treaty, hoping to create unbearable conditions for the further stay of miners and employees of the Consulate General in Svalbard.
“Even during the Cold War, being a member of NATO, Norway behaved much more restrained in relation to the USSR.
The Soviet presence on Svalbard was largely the result of a political compromise.
Now the adequacy in the behavior of Oslo is not observed.
One gets the impression that the leadership of Norway is simply following the NATO training manuals, ”Bruter suggested.
A similar point of view in a conversation with RT was expressed by Ruslan Kostyuk, professor at the Faculty of International Relations at St Petersburg University.
He doubts that in the current situation, Oslo is set to compromise with Moscow.
“In my opinion, the issues of Svalbard are resolved in Washington.
Norway clearly demonstrates its interest in active cooperation with NATO, including in the Arctic.
Its policy is the result of a general deterioration in relations between Russia and the West.
At the same time, Oslo's actions cannot be justified.
They violate international law and the humanitarian rights of the Russian population,” Kostyuk stressed.
Russian settlement on Svalbard
RIA News
© Sergey Mamontov
According to experts, Russia can solve the problem of supplying Spitsbergen by establishing communication between Barentsburg and its own ports in the Arctic.
In addition, Moscow has every right to raise at the international level the question of whether the Treaty of Paris should then be considered invalid and how legitimate Norway's sovereignty over the archipelago is.
In an interview with RT, the head of the Center for Arctic Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Valery Zhuravel, said that in the current circumstances, Moscow can hold consultations with countries participating in the Paris Treaty.
“In any case, Russia will not leave its citizens in trouble on Svalbard.
There is an opportunity to deliver the necessary goods there.
As for the modern understanding of the 1920 treaty, it makes sense to initiate consultations with other participants.
Many are dissatisfied with the actions of Norway.
In my opinion, Norway should not have succumbed to NATO pressure and acted in this way in relation to the Russian settlements of Svalbard,” Zhuravel concluded.