Amid Norway's celebration of Svalbard Treaty comes another verbal attack from Moscow

Crown Prince Haakon and Prime Minister Støre travelled to Longyearbyen to mark a century of Norwegian sovereignty over Svalbard. The day before the event, the Russian Foreign Ministry criticised Norway once more, according to the Barents Observer.

Haakon spoke on the town square of Longyearbyen. He said that a hundred years earlier Spitsbergen, its islands and Bear Island had become part of the Norwegian kingdom, and that this was why people had gathered. He added that he first came to Svalbard at the age of seven and has returned many times.

The Svalbard Treaty was signed in 1920. It entered into force five years later, on 25 August 1925, and the archipelago then became formally Norwegian. Støre said in his speech that Norway has used its authority in Svalbard in a steady and predictable way for 100 years. He said this has helped keep tension low in the High North. He said Norway holds full sovereignty and the sole right to govern the archipelago, in line with international law.

At its weekly press conference, the Russian ministry's spokesperson, Aleksei Fadeev, charged Oslo with discriminating against Russians, with militarisation and with breaching the treaty. He said Norway is working harder to strengthen its sovereignty over the islands, against Russian interests. He referred to what he described as growing limits on Russian economic and scientific activity. The ministry also said Norway is expanding its military presence on Svalbard and tying it to NATO planning. It said Oslo is creating a confrontational atmosphere that could raise tension at high latitudes, and it expects Norway to rethink its approach.

The Barents Observer notes that Moscow has voiced similar complaints before. Before the 2020 anniversary, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov wrote to Oslo about Russia feeling discriminated against. He asked for bilateral talks on removing limits on Russian activity and structures. Norway's foreign and justice ministers of the time rejected this in a joint statement, saying Svalbard is part of Norway and that consulting other countries on powers in its own areas is not natural.