Russia has something to remind Norway
Vilnius, Oslo, further - nowhere?
The frankly provocative actions of the Norwegian authorities regarding Russia's economic ties with Spitsbergen hardly differ from the recent decisions of Vilnius on Kaliningrad. More precisely, by limiting the same ties between the Kaliningrad region and the rest of the territory of Russia.
At the same time, both measures, if you look at it, in fact, do not correspond to the new Western sanctions against the Russian Federation. Vilnius was actually forced to admit this "inconsistency" the other day, and now it's Oslo's turn. The first shifts for the better have already been outlined, a continuation, apparently, follows.
In the literal sense, the Jesuitism of the Norwegian authorities is also very characteristic because it is thanks to the USSR that Norway retains its territories ... even in the South Atlantic and the Pacific Ocean - near Antarctica!
And they didn't say thank you
Recall: by decree of the Norwegian King Haakon VII of January 23, 1928, the South Atlantic island of Bouvet (near Antarctica) in 50 square meters. km was declared Norwegian territory, which was simultaneously claimed by Great Britain.
In 1929–1931 The Storting (parliament) of Norway adopted a law and a number of regulations, according to which the larger island of Peter I (160 sq. Km), located off the Pacific coast of the Antarctic Peninsula of Antarctica, was included in this territory - the “Bouvet sector”.
But the inclusion of this island in Norway was first disputed by the USSR. Thus, the Soviet Note of Protest to the Norwegian government dated January 24, 1939 explained that
“...Norway unilaterally declared its territory the Antarctic island of Peter I, discovered by the Russian expedition of F.F. Bellingshausen and M.P. Lazarev in 1819–1821.”
Nevertheless, Moscow did not officially declare Soviet rights to this island and did not protest Oslo's decision in the League of Nations, which the Norwegian authorities feared.
On this map, the island of Peter I is highlighted, and about. Bouvet - to the right of Antarctica
By what right
Meanwhile, the ownership of Peter I Island by Norway was preserved, being enshrined in Norwegian law in 1957, which was also not disputed by Moscow. The permanent international Antarctic Treaty, signed in 1959, does not apply, with the consent of the USSR, to Bouvet Island.
And since Peter I Island falls under the scope of this Treaty, which was also signed by Norway, the Norwegian territorial claims are defined here as "indefinitely" frozen "by the countries participating in the Treaty." But these claims are not officially rejected in this document.
It is also interesting that, according to a number of experts cooperating with the IAEA atomic energy agency, it was on Bouvet Island - that is, on Norwegian territory - that a "joint" atomic bomb was tested by South Africa and Israel in 1979.
Which was not officially refuted either in Oslo, or in Pretoria, or, somewhat strangely, in Tel Aviv. At the same time, experts have repeatedly noted that
"the secret operation was prepared so carefully that there is no official evidence of a nuclear test in the Bouvet region to date."
However, specialists visit Bouvet Island
“Not recommended: there is a high level of radiation on its territory.”
Meeting place change...
And in some Soviet media (only in some ...) the intended location of this test was indicated with vague brevity: "in the South Atlantic". That is, Moscow's line of maintaining stability in relations with Oslo continued.
In this regard, we note that during the period when the territory of Norway itself was occupied by the Nazis (May 1940 - October 1944), Great Britain planned to “expropriate” the islands of Bouvet and Peter I, including them in neighboring British colonies: respectively, the Falkland Islands (Fr. Bouvet) and Pitcairn (Fr. Peter I). By the way, these colonies in Britain are preserved to this day.
But in contrast to the British plans, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (NKID) and the People's Commissariat for Foreign Trade of the USSR (since 1946 it has been the Ministry of Foreign Trade) in May 1944 and in February 1947, in their joint explanation to the government of Norway, clarified that the Soviet-Norwegian agreements of 1944-1947. "shall apply in full to all territories permanently under the jurisdiction of the Kingdom of Norway".
In Oslo, they can sleep peacefully
Then there were bilateral agreements "On civil administration and jurisdiction in the territory of Norway after its liberation" (May 16, 1944), "On the Establishment of Telegraph and Telephone Relations" and "On the Exchange of Postal Parcels" (both dated February 11, 1947), as well as the annual minutes of 1946-1948. on joint harvesting of marine bioresources.
Moreover, the same Soviet explanations were presented even earlier - in August 1941, to the emigrant government of Norway (in London) in connection with the agreement of August 5, 1941 on the restoration of Soviet-Norwegian diplomatic relations.
All this was confirmed by the Soviet side during a visit to the USSR in November 1955 by Norwegian Prime Minister E. Gerhardsen (pictured). At the talks, he expressed gratitude to the Soviet leadership for supporting Norwegian sovereignty in the remote territories of this country. And he guaranteed the invariable observance of the economic interests of the USSR in Svalbard.
In the future, the Norwegians, of course, did not demand the above-mentioned explanations from the Soviet side. And still they are not required by Norway ...
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