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It is the Russian embassy in Oslo that released the statement on Monday night. Plans to allow a base for US nuclear-powered submarines in the port of Tønsnes on the outskirts of Tromsø are criticized.
Russia accuses Norway of ruining the neighborhood relationship between the two countries:
“Unfortunately, the reality is that at the initiative of Norway, full military interaction has been suspended. Systematic dialogue at the political level between our countries and relations between special services have been reduced to a minimum. All initiatives by Russia to restore cooperation they were rejected by the Norwegian government. ”
Russian Embassy in Oslo. On Monday night, the embassy posted a statement on its website directing harsh criticism of Norway.
Photo: Terje Bendiksby / NTB scanpix
Furthermore, Russia is harshly critical of what they believe to be “Norway’s increasing militarization”.
Their goal is for the base for US nuclear powered submarines to be established outside of Tromsø. At the same time, Norway is improving Finnmark’s ground defense.
In the long term, this will mean that more units of the Norwegian army will be stationed near the border areas with Russia.
The Defense Ministry declined to comment on the embassy’s statement.
Also read: The municipality of Tromsø will receive nuclear submarines from NATO.
Also read: Russian elite warriors conduct exercises on the Norwegian border.
Reject good neighborly relations
The embassy claims that Defense Minister Frank Bakke-Jensen is wrong when he told Nordlys newspaper last week that Norway has good contact with Russia. The statement came as Bakke-Jensen explained why the Norwegian authorities will accept jet-powered US ships to Tromsø.
Defense Minister Frank Bakke-Jensen.
Photo: Heiko Junge / NTB
The Minister said that an important principle in Norway’s security and defense policy is deterrence.
It is important to show that Norway is part of a NATO alliance where members defend each other.
– The second is that we promote tranquility. We have very good contact with our neighbor to the east. We have recognized that we have a neighbor who is a nuclear power. When we become relevant to this type of activity in the NATO alliance, we can also get involved and influence. And create greater security for Russia with this type of navigation, Bakke-Jensen told Nordlys.
The Russian embassy is responding to the statement. They reject that the neighborly relationship between Russia and Norway is good:
The Russian ship Marshal Ustinov in international waters off the Norwegian coast. The photo was taken in August 2019.
Photo: Armed Forces
“Norway, without opportunity or threat from Russia, enthusiastically assumed the role of NATO outpost on the border with our country. We note the increasing militarization of Norway, the systematic anti-Russian exercises, the transfer of the presence of large foreign forces on Norwegian territory in fact to a permanent base contrary to the traditional “grassroots policy.”
Believe Norway is to blame
Furthermore, the embassy claims that there is no reason why relations between Norway and Russia are bad:
“The current bad relations cannot be justified by anything: during the Cold War, ideological confrontation is absent now. Russia and Norway are members of the Council of Europe, active participants in the Paris climate agreement, etc.”, the embassy affirms.
Finally, in the statement from the Russian embassy, there is a clear call to the Norwegian authorities:
“We believe that Norwegian politicians should use their energy and the people’s money to strengthen the peace in the north and not to destroy it.”
Soldiers from a troop of engineers are training to lay mines in Sør-Varanger, near the Russian border.
Photo: Armed Forces
Russians want to create division in Norway
Ingerid M. Opdahl is head of the Russia program at the Department of Defense Studies (IFF). He is not surprised by the content of the statement from the Russian embassy.
– This is not unusual for Russians. It can be compared to much of what they came up with before. They join a hard and irreconcilable line. A well-known move is trying to create a division in Norway. This is done by pitting parts of the country against each other, Opdahl says.
Ingerid M. Opdahl is head of the Russia program at the Department of Defense Studies.
Photo: Armed Forces
In the Department of Defense Studies, they follow the rhetoric and proposals that come from the Russian authorities.
It is obvious that the Russians do not like development in Norway.
– The relationship is not good now. Such statements emphasize it. The Russians will also claim that they believe that Norwegian security policy is not exclusively determined in Norway. They cast some doubt about Norway’s independence and the ability to shape its own politics, Opdahl says.
She believes the embassy statement shows the Russian perspective. It omits information that military cooperation between Russia and Western countries broke down after the Russians annexed the Crimean peninsula.
