Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov chose to use the 100th anniversary for the signing of the Svalbard Treaty to launch staunch criticism of how Norway manages its sovereignty on the archipelago.

Lavrov requests a meeting with Norwegian authorities to discuss “Svalbard problems”.

That will not happen, says State Secretary Audun Halvorsen of the Norwegian MFA.

“We will not have bilateral consultations with Russia about Svalbard”, says Halvorsen.

Argues that the criticism is familiar

In his letter, Lavrov wrote that Russia sees the need to remind Norway that it is to maintain “equal access” to the archipelago and conduct economic activity on equal terms, as stated in the Svalbard Treaty.

Russia in particular worries about what it argues is limitations placed on the use of Russian helicopters, illegal creation of a fisheries protection zone and artificial expansions of nature protection zones to limit economic activity, the letter reads. Today, Russia has a helicopter base at Kapp Heer in relation to the Barentsburg mining community.

Russia is also worried about what it considers to be deportation procedures targeting Russian citizens from Longyearbyen.