Zakharova further towards Norway
This is revealed in a statement published on the department’s websites.
The treaty gives Norway full sovereignty on Svalbard, but at the same time obliges Norwegian authorities to treat citizens from all countries equally.
Zakharova believes this is not the case for Russian citizens.
– Recently, the Norwegian authorities have noticeably worsened the working conditions for Russian companies on Svalbard and in the surrounding sea areas, she says, and points to the fact that in December the Norwegian authorities introduced “unfounded restrictions” for Russian researchers on board the research vessel “Dalnie Zelentsy”.
Image mocks Putin
– Hysteria
Zakharova also reacts to being denied entry to Barentsburg, despite having “given notice of the arrival in good time”, and believes the Norwegian authorities’ actions are politically motivated.
– Common statements from Norwegian authorities and military experts show that Oslo prefers to succumb to anti-Russian hysteria at the expense of international legal obligations, says Zakharova and adds:
– We categorically condemn this discriminatory approach. Russia’s position and arguments have been repeatedly conveyed to Norway through official channels, Zakharova says, adding that Russian researchers must be given free access to Svalbard to carry out work that qualifies as legal through the Svalbard Treaty.
Got permission
On Monday last week, Dagbladet wrote that Norwegian UD has given Russia permission to carry out parts of the research trip, but only the part that takes place outside Norwegian territorial waters.
UD, however, refused Russia to take sedimentary bottom samples on the Norwegian continental shelf, and further to carry out the part of the research cruise that was supposed to take place in the territorial waters to Svalbard, according to documents that Dagbladet has obtained access to.
Last week, State Secretary Eivind Vad Petersson (Ap) told the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that the application was processed in line with the law of the sea, which gives Norway the right to refuse marine research within territorial waters.
– The request is processed in line with the law of the sea, which is connected, among other things, to the fact that Norway is free to conduct research within territorial waters. Outside the territorial waters, the coastal state can simply refuse research in a few cases, for example if it is not actually about research, but fishing or exploiting other resources, Petersson tells Dagbladet and continues:
– This trip concerns the collection of research data along the Kola cut. In this area, the institute has coherent timelines that go back to the period before the First World War.
On Friday morning, Dagbladet sent the Ministry of Foreign Affairs a request for a comment on Zakharova’s statements, but has not received a reply.