Facts
Russia and Norway
• Relations between Russia and Norway in recent years has deteriorated.
• Norway takes part in international sanctions against Russia, imposed after Russia’s annexation of Crimea.
• The news about Norway’s participation in the missile shield NATO worsen relations even more. The same can be said about the placement of American soldiers in Vernes (Vernes).
In its threat assessment, the intelligence Service said that Russia continues to pose the greatest threat to the security of Norway, both in digital and militarily.
Background
“We need to resume fish exports to the East”
In the last week of March børge Brende will meet with his Russian counterpart in Arkhangelsk. The representative of the Labour party mayor of rune Rafaelsen (Rune Rafaelsen) requires that specific actions have been taken.
“It is important that policy Central level the Norwegian met regularly with their Russian counterparts. It should happen in good times and in bad times,” he says.
Rafaelsen requires that the authorities provided the border municipality Sør-Varanger the opportunity to maintain contacts with the neighbours on the other side of the border.
“What we need to fix ASAP is the Russian refusal to import of Norwegian fish. On this, the Norwegian economy is losing at least six billion crowns a year, and is on the market, which should grow strongly”.
At the same time with the requirement to improve relations, the mayor indicates that the position of Norway to the Russian intervention on the Crimean Peninsula should remain unchanged.
Neighbors: three out of four people in Northern Norway believe that the government needs to do something to improve relations with Russia.
Russia
In politics, the tone in communication between Norway and our great neighbour in the East is cold and stressful. Here and sanctions, and war of words, conversations between high-level politicians are not like before. On Friday, the Russian Embassy issued a statement to the press in which it is stated that the relations between Norway and Russia “untenable”.
However, in the human sense the friendly tone is maintained, although there things can get more complicated if a new cold war will continue.
A public opinion poll conducted by Sentio for Klassekampen, which was attended by 1.5 thousand of inhabitants of Northern Norway, shows that 76% of respondents believe that the government needs to do something to improve relations with Russia.
15% said that governments should do more, while 9% answered “don’t know”. The requirement to do something increases the closer to Russia the Respondent lives. In Finnmark 81% believes that it is necessary to do something in tromsø 76%, in Nordland 73%.
Surprising
Residents of Northern Norway the result of the survey is not surprising. Relations between Northern Norway and Russia is important: the closer to the border, the greater is the role of good neighbourly relations.
Tromsø Mekaniske shipyard for many years, there is Russian and through Russian. Nearly a third of orders the company receives thanks to the Russian fishing vessels.
“We are fully cooperating with Russian shipping companies, and, fortunately, do not see any changes in the established between us great contacts,” says CEO åge Hansen (Åge Hansen).
Russian Dmitry Gilev works in the administration and indicates that the relationship between Norwegians and Russians in Tromso is beautiful.
“There are 7-8 thousand Russians, who then either work or study. We feel that we came to the court and became an integral part of the city, at all levels,” he said.
In the North everything is fine
“For me it is important that a good relationship existed with the Pomeranian has continued. Let big politics remains politics, we need to ensure that the tone of the conversations between us, the people living on both sides of the border would be as good as possible,” says Roy Olav Andreassen (Roy Olav Andreassen), who for many years headed the Union at the shipyard.
He considers it important that Norwegian and Russian politicians in leadership positions, met regularly and resolve possible disputes.
Sanita head over heels (Sanita Cubare) originally from Latvia, she’s an accountant. She looks at everything and makes no distinction between Norwegian and Russian colleagues.
“In my normal life I don’t think about the relation to Russia. Here in the North everything seems perfectly normal, at least, at my level,” she says.
The older generation is configured more positively
The study showed that concerns about relations with Russia increases with age. 70% of respondents up to 30 years require that the authorities have taken some measures. Among the oldest group — those over 60 — the requirements of the authorities are pushing 80%.
Among the “right-wing” voters with a demand to do something are the 75%. A similar number of the electorate voting for the labour party — 74%. Of those who voted for the Socialist left party, 84% require government measures to improve relations with Russia. Similar measures demand and 91% of voters voting for “Red”, 85% of voters of the Christian people’s party and 72% of supporters of the party of Venstre (Left).
The study was conducted at the end of December 2016.
