NORWAY: RUSSIAN PRESENCE IN SVALBARD WATERS

S E C R E T OSLO 000398

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/16/2018
TAGS: MOPS PGOV PHSA PINR PREL NO
SUBJECT: NORWAY: RUSSIAN PRESENCE IN SVALBARD WATERS

REF: OSLO 321

Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Kevin M Johnson
for reasons 1.4 b and d


1. (S) Summary: Russian claims that Russian warships have
been sent to patrol Svalbard waters to protect fisheries do
not appear to reflect reality. At present there is no
indication that any Russian warship is currently patrolling
near Svalbard. Russian warships have passed through Svalbard
waters in the past, and recently a Russian fisheries patrol
vessel entered port in Barentsburg without clearance.
Russian naval activity in the Barents is increasing and the
Russian warship Severomorsk is currently en route to Bergen
to participate in Exercise Northern Eagle, along U.S. and
Norwegian assets. Russian naval units conducting routine
operations in the Barents are some distance from the Svalbard
archipelago. End Summary

--Current Events--


2. (S) Russian press sources quote the Russian Navy's
spokesman, Captain Igor Dygalo, stating that the destroyer
Severomorsk is already patrolling Svalbard waters and that
the missile cruiser Marshall Ustinov will be sent on July 17
to patrol Arctic waters including off the coasts of
Spitsbergen, the main island in the Svalbard archipelago.
While the Severmorsk is confirmed as en route to Bergen to
participate in Operation Northern Eagle, as of 16 July the
Marshall Ustinov remains in port.


3. (S) Exercise Northern Eagle starts Thursday, July 17, with
a joint visit by the Russian destroyer Severomorsk and the
USS Elrod to the Haakonsvern Naval Base near Bergen. From
there, the exercise proceeds up and over the North Cape near
Bear Island (but not to Svalbard/Spitsbergen) to end in
Severomorsk on July 29. The USS Elrod (FFG-55) and a
Norwegian coast guard vessel will be in port in Severomorsk
for the last few days of the exercise for Russian Navy Day.

--Past Patterns--


4. (S) Russian warships have periodically traversed Svalbard
waters to establish their presence. In October 2003 the
destroyer Admiral Levchenko deployed to the Norwegian Sea and
transited to within 35 nm of Spitsbergen and to within 12 nm
of Bear Island on the return transit. In June-July 2006 on a
return transit from the UK, the same unit transited northerly
to within 40nm of Spitsbergen as well. Both of these
deployments/transits appeared to be designed to show the flag
in support of the Russian fishing fleets rights. The current
announcement (and following cruise of the Marshall Ustinov if
it occurs) seem to be designed with a similar purpose.


5. (S) The GON has a different interpretation of the Svalbard
treaty than most other signatories but has not reacted
aggressively to challenges to their interpretation. A
Russian fisheries patrol ship violated Norwegian sovereignty
(in the view of the Norwegians' reading of the Svalbard
treaty)in Spitzbergen a couple of months ago by entering the
port of Barentsburg without clearance. The GON decided that
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs should handle the situation
through diplomatic channels, rather than sending a Norwegian
naval vessel to escort the Russian vessel out of Svalbard's
waters.

--Svalbard Treaty--

6. (S) The Svalbard Treaty is one of the last remaining
elements of the Treaty of Versailles in force and is open to
a wide range of interpretation on both the nonmilitary nature
of the islands and on potential economic activities. The
Treaty language is old fashioned and its text is unclear
given modern contexts. There is a clear prohibition on
Norway establishing any naval bases or military presence on
the archipelago but beyond this parties can easily dispute
what other military activity is allowed. Economically,
Norwegians view the Svalbard Archipelago and its territorial
waters as part of the Norwegian continental shelf and subject
to the resource management, environmental regulation, energy
development, and taxation regimes currently applied to the
off-shore energy sector in Norwegian coastal areas. Russia
disputes this interpretation particularly in regard to
restrictions put on Russian fishing vessels.

--Comment--

7. (S) The announcement of Arctic and Svalbard patrols seems
to be the latest in a regular Russian pattern of showing the
flag and asserting their rights according to their
interpretation of the Svalbard Treaty. Looking at the 2003
and 2006 cruises as precedent, and given the dispute over the
fisheries patrol vessel's Barentsburg docking, it is likely
that the Russians thought it was time to reassert their
rights. Even if the Marshall Ustinov never leaves port, the
Russian announcement largely served its purpose. The
Norwegians' quiet response to past incidents indicates a
likelihood they will downplay their response to any patrols.
In recent meetings with Russian FM Lavrov, Norwegian FM
Stoere strongly defended the Norwegian interpretation of the
Svalbard treaty in response to pressure from FM Lavrov. Thus
while willing to diplomatically insist on its rights, Norway
seems unwilling to take any stronger measures to enforce its
interpretation of the Norwegian Svalbard position.

WHITNEY