Russian diplomat Korchunov spoke out against rising tensions in Svalbard

This is reported by TASS with reference to the Ambassador at Large of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Chairman of the Committee of Senior Officials of the Arctic Council Nikolai Korchunov.

“We do not want and would not want Svalbard to turn into a zone of tension instead of a zone of cooperation.

This is not our choice,” Korchunov said.

At the same time, he stated that the actions of the Norwegian side to block cargo cannot be ignored, calling such a decision by Oslo unprecedented.

The diplomat expressed the hope that, nevertheless, common sense will prevail among the Norwegian authorities and "without prejudice to relations and increasing tension in high latitudes, a solution will be found."

On June 28, Norway rejected Russia's application for the passage of goods for Russian settlements on Svalbard through the only checkpoint on the Russian-Norwegian border "Storskog".

Russian Consul General in Svalbard Sergei Gushchin, commenting on Norway's refusal to allow cargo to pass for Russian settlements, suggested that the Norwegian authorities had not thought through all the consequences of this step.