On Wednesday morning, news was able to reveal that Russia’s consul general in Barentsburg, Andrei Chemerilo, is an agent connected to the intelligence service GRU. It is only two short weeks since Norway expelled 15 Russian diplomats. The diplomats are said to have carried out actions that were incompatible with their diplomatic status. – We feel that we are more vulnerable, and that their activity in Norway has more damage than before, said Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt (Ap). On Wednesday afternoon, Russia came with its counter-reaction: Ten Norwegian diplomats are expelled from Russia. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will not comment on Chemerilo’s status. – We cannot comment on news’s sources. Based on a thorough review, the Norwegian authorities have declared 15 intelligence officers who worked under diplomatic cover in Norway as undesirable. The Russian consul general in Barentsburg was not among these, says press spokesperson Guri Solberg to news. Liberals: – Shows how clear the Russian intelligence pressure is on Norway Storting representative for the Liberals, Sveinung Rotevatn, says news’s revelations must be taken seriously: – The cases from news clearly show how heavy the Russian intelligence pressure is on Norway. There is no reason to be naive here. Therefore, the government must do everything it can to reduce the risk. CONCERNED: Storting representative for Venstre, Sveinung Rotevatn is concerned about the extent of Russian intelligence presence in Norway. Photo: Torstein Bøe Rotevatn has confidence in the government’s assessment of a possible deportation of Chemerilo. At the same time, he believes that the pressure on Russia should be increased. – One step they can take, which the government has so far refused, is to deprive Russian super trawlers of access to Norwegian ports, suggests the Liberal representative. Rotevatn points out that all other EEA countries have taken similar measures. – These are ships that we know can be used by Russian intelligence to conduct operations against Norway, he says. Experts do not think Chemerilo will be expelled Director of the Fridtjof Nansen Institute (FNI) Iver Neumann says it is “no bomb” that Russia is conducting intelligence on Svalbard. NOT SURPRISED: Director at FNI, Iver Neumann, is not surprised that Russia’s consul general in Svalbard has connections to intelligence agencies. Photo: Jan Dalsgaard Sørensen – It is a militarily sensitive area where not only Norway and Russia, but the West and Russia feel each other’s teeth. Neumann does not think Norway will expel Chemerilo: – It is a bit difficult to imagine that you will expel another diplomat when you have just expelled 15. Then you would probably include this fellow in the same round. Senior researcher at FNI Arild Moe has recently carried out a study of the Russian presence and Russian Svalbard policy. RUSSIA EXPERT: Senior researcher at Fridtjof Nansen’s Institute Arild Moe has Russia and the Arctic as a special field. Moe says that in many ways it is legitimate for Russia to have a presence on Svalbard. Photo: Fridtjof Nansen’s Institute Moe believes there is currently no good basis for deporting Chemerilo. – There is nowhere in the world where you register as an agent. Russia has a consul on Svalbard, and they have the right to have that. It is unproblematic. Legally speaking, the background of Chemerilo is irrelevant. If Chemerilo is to be deported, there must be concrete offenses to prove. – What is problematic for the Norwegian side is if he has activities on Norwegian soil that are in conflict with Norwegian law and interests. As long as the Russian consul general has not done anything illegal, there is also no basis for doing anything, such as expelling him, says Moe. REJECTED: Anniken Huitfeldt answered questions about Russian intelligence activities in Norway during the Storting’s Question Time on Wednesday. There she rejected for the time being the need for measures against Russia. Photo: Gorm Kallestad / NTB Huitfeldt rejected the need for new measures in question time Both Liberal Party leader Guri Melby and foreign policy spokesperson for the Conservative Party, Ine Eriksen Søreide, used question time in the Storting today to address Russian intelligence in Norway. CALLS FOR MEASURES: Liberal leader Guri Melby said during question time that Norway has become significantly more vulnerable due to Russian intelligence. Photo: Javad Parsa / NTB – Isn’t the tangible documentation from news sufficient for the government to now ban Russian fishing vessels from all Norwegian ports? Melby asked. – We implement measures in Norwegian politics based on the information we have. All possible claims made in the media must be quality assured. It is clear that there is extensive control in Norwegian ports now, replied Huitfeldt. – When does the Minister for Foreign Affairs think that the risk of the special Norwegian exception to the port ban exceeds the gain? Søreide then asked. – We make an ongoing assessment of this. That is why I constantly ask for information from the Norwegian agencies that control. I have not said that we rule out closing these ports, but for the sake of joint fisheries management, we must take care of the cod stock that we have, replied Huitfeldt.
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– No reason to be naive – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
