Global Insider: Russia-Norway Relations

According to documents made public by WikiLeaks, improving ties between Russia and Norway have caused strain within NATO. In an email interview, Pavel K. Baev, a research professor at the Peace Research Institute Oslo, discussed Russia-Norway relations.

WPR: What is the recent history of Russia-Norway relations?

Pavel K. Baev: The post-Soviet history of Russian-Norwegian relations is by no means problem-free. The long list of incidents and grievances includes spy scandals, arrests -- and subsequent dramatic escapes -- of trawlers for overfishing, the radar at Vardø administered by the Norwegian Intelligence Service, and Russia's failed test of a Bulava missile that spectacularly illuminated the night sky over Tromsø, Norway, in December 2009. Nevertheless, there is a strong underlying commitment to good-neighborly cooperation, which has recently materialized in the settlement of the long-lasting maritime border dispute in the Barents Sea. For Norway, this "split the difference" compromise agreement signifies a major breakthrough in desecuritizing relations with Russia.

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