– I believe the statement from the US ambassador is a deep insult, and completely unacceptable from an official US representative. I think that Norwegians should also feel insulted, says Russia’s ambassador, Tejmuraz Otarovitch Ramishvili. It was during the Church Conference on Wednesday this week that the American ambassador Marc Nathanson lashed out at Russian President Vladimir Putin. Nathanson believed that what is happening in Ukraine can be compared to what happened on 9 April 1940, when Hitler’s forces invaded Norway. The American ambassador to Norway, Marc Nathanson, compares Putin to Hitler. Photo: Kristina Kalinina / news To news, the ambassador elaborated and said that Hitler invaded a neutral country completely unprovoked and Putin has done the same in Ukraine. – For me, it is a real comparison, says Nathanson. – Are you comparing Putin to Hitler? – I think they are both tyrants, says the ambassador. – Historical ignorance Russian ambassador Ramishvili says that he is not in the habit of commenting on colleagues from a third country, but he cannot let this case go unnoticed. – Whether this is about historical ignorance or a lack of diplomatic professionalism, it is up to the public to decide, he says. He is referring to the fact that Soviet soldiers liberated Norway from the Nazis when they entered Eastern Finnmark in 1945. – The ground he spoke on is soaked in the blood of Soviet soldiers, who liberated Eastern Finnmark from German Nazis, says Ramishvili. He believes that it may seem as if the US ambassador has forgotten this, but he believes the Norwegian population has not forgotten it. Ramishvili refers to the memorial for Soviet soldiers standing in Kirkenes. Defense chief Eirik Kristoffersen understands the comparison with Hitler. Photo: Kristina Kalinina / news Divided opinions Among the top Norwegian authorities participating in the Conference of the Churches, there are divided opinions about the move from Marc Nathanson. Chief of Defense Eirik Kristoffersen believes that what Putin has done in Ukraine can be compared to what Hitler did during the Second World War. – President Putin has attacked a neighboring country. He is the one responsible for this and it doesn’t look like he is thinking of ending it. So in that sense it can perhaps be compared, says Kristoffersen. Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt is present in Kirkens, where relations with Russia are high on the agenda. Photo: Kristina Kalinina / news Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt, however, is not a fan of such comparisons. – I have studied history and know that you should never draw such parallels, says Huitfeldt to news. – Is Norway softer in its rhetoric than the USA? – No, I don’t think so, says the foreign minister. Senior researcher at the Institute of Foreign Policy (NUPI) Julie Wilhelmsen. Photo: Simen Hunding Strømme / news Senior researcher at NUPI, Julie Wilhelmsen, believes the comparison with Hitler is unfortunate. – Then it will be the case that nothing we do from the outside in relation to Putin has any meaning. Because then he is unaffected, if he is a crazy Hitler type, says Wilhelmsen.
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The Russian ambassador is bloody offended by the Hitler comparison – news Troms and Finnmark
