– In connection with Iceland, Norway and the Danish independent territories Greenland and the Faroe Islands joining the EU’s anti-Russian sanctions, which include restrictions on Russian officials, Russia has taken countermeasures, writes the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. in a press release.
According to the ministry, the measures are aimed at a total of 31 people.
- 16 people from Norway
- 9 people from Iceland
- 3 people from the Faroe Islands
- 3 people from Greenland
According to the press release, the people on the blacklist include parliamentarians, government members, journalists, business representatives and some social activists.
According to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, these will “actively promote anti-Russian rhetoric and participate in shaping and implementing measures aimed at our country”.
UD: – Affects innocent people
6. april Norway expelled three Russian diplomats at the embassy in Oslo. On Wednesday this week, Russia responded with expel three Norwegian diplomats at the embassy in Moscow.
The new round of Russian expulsions is thus in addition to the “diplomatic response”.
Ane Haavardsdatter Lunde is a communications adviser and spokesperson at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Photo: Håkon Mosvold Larsen / NTB scanpix
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– Our sanctions are linked to concrete, acts contrary to international law. The Russian countermeasures, on the other hand, are nothing more than a retaliation that affects innocent people, says communications adviser Ane Haavardsdatter Lunde at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to NRK.
According to NRK’s experience, they will probably first be informed that they are not welcome in Russia when they arrive at the Russian border. Norwegians have also previously been denied entry to Russia. This happened after the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and subsequent Western sanctions.
Denied Storting politicians access
This is not the first time that Russia has denied high-profile Norwegians entry into the country.
In 2017, the Storting’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee canceled a visit to Russia after Trine Skei Grande (V) and Bård Vegar Solhjell (SV) did not receive a visa.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the reason was that Norway had joined EU sanctions against Russia.
Two years earlier, senior researcher Julie Wilhelmsen at the Norwegian Institute of Foreign Policy was declared undesirable in Russia. Among other things, she researched Russia’s wars in Chechnya.
Bjørn Engesland from the Norwegian Helsinki Committee also has been banned from Russia.
In 2014, Trade Councilor Dag Ivar Brekke was denied a renewed visa. It came in response to the fact that Norway had refused to renew the visas of several Russians Norwegian authorities thought were not honest about what kind of work tasks they had.
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