OREANDA-NEWS. Official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia Maria Zakharova claimed that Norway violates the Svalbard Treaty on the free access to natural resources of the archipelago.

“In recent years, Oslo actually violates the provisions of the Treaty that specify the obligations of the Norwegian authorities in this regard,” she said. Zakharova noted that the matter is not discussing sovereignty over the archipelago, but about finding ways to resolve the problems that Russian operators are facing in Svalbard. The official representative of the Foreign Ministry emphasized that in such a way Oslo “spoils bilateral relations.”

On February 8, the Russian Embassy in Norway announced a violation by Oslo of its obligations under the Svalbard agreement. On February 15, Norway rejected the offer of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to hold consultations on the archipelago.