Norway, which borders Russia, complies with the Fifth Sanctions against Moscow, which was adopted by the European Union (EU) a few weeks ago because of the war in Ukraine, which is part of the European Union but not part of it. Economic Area (EEA).
The closure of the ports will affect the movement of more than 500 tonnes of merchant ships, boats and some pleasure boats in international waters, excluding fishing.
Svalbard’s Arctic archipelago is out of bounds because, despite its Norwegian sovereignty, an international treaty allows all signatories, including Russia, to exploit its natural resources.
Traffic of Russian transport trucks on the Storskok border (northern Norway) has increased in recent days after the EU imposed new sanctions.
“The government has taken a clear position during the crisis and we stand with our neighbors and the European Union to ensure that sanctions are effective,” Norwegian Fisheries Minister Bjனர்rn Schjren said in a statement.
Right-wing opposition to the center-left Norwegian government criticized the delay in approving the closure of the ports, but Schjeren defended himself, saying it was necessary to accept sanctions in the Norwegian context, which includes maritime cooperation agreements with Russia in the Arctic. .
Several Norwegian border municipalities have expressed concern about the impact of the new sanctions on companies and have demanded financial compensation from Oslo.