Oslo - Saba:
Russia's Ambassador to Oslo, Nikolai Korchunov, stated on Sunday that the Norwegian authorities are attempting to strengthen their sovereignty over the Svalbard archipelago, which could hinder Russian scientific and economic activities there.
In an interview with Sputnik, Korchunov said, "The Norwegian authorities have recently taken steps to strengthen their sovereignty over the archipelago (Spitsbergen) in a way that will create additional difficulties for Russian scientific and economic activities there."
Korshunov noted that current contacts with the Norwegian side regarding the archipelago are pragmatic in nature and are taking place primarily at the level of the Norwegian leadership of the archipelago.
The Russian ambassador emphasized that "Norway, with some exceptions, has joined all sectoral sanctions (with respect to Svalbard, the sanctions regime regarding visits by our ships to the archipelago has been excluded) and personal sanctions imposed by the European Union, which clearly contradicts the Svalbard Treaty, as it places Russian economic operators and scientists in a discriminatory position."
Svalbard is located in the Arctic Ocean, and the 1920 treaty established Norwegian sovereignty over this area, while the signatory states, including Russia, were granted equal rights to exploit the archipelago's natural resources and territorial waters.
In 1947, the Norwegian Parliament recognized that the Soviet Union had special economic interests in Svalbard, and these rights were transferred to Russia in 1991.
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