Arne O. Holm says More Worried About Putin Than the Security of Norwegian Citizens? Really?
The Norwegian newspaper Altinget and its foreign and security analyst have visited Kirkenes. (Screenshot from Altinget's article)
Comment: Altinget's reporter has visited Finnmark. The experience apparently made an impression. After the usual meteorological observations, as every capital-bound journalist must present after a visit to the North for some reason, she introduces claims that are completely removed from our reality in the North.
This is a comment written by a member of the editorial staff. The views expressed are the writer's own.
This time, it is Altinget's foreign and security analyst Jette F. Christensen who's gone for a trip. Christensen is a former parliament representative for the Labor Party and also served as a member of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence. These political experiences could provide the basis for some insights, but alas, it is not guaranteed.
A rainy day in Kirkenes
The analyst wants the Russian Consulate General in Kirkenes closed down. This is in itself an interesting and principled debate about which channels Norway should maintain with its neighbor, Russia, and which should be closed down.
Normally, these negotiations about the management of the crucial fish stocks in the Barents Sea would have been concluded long ago. The truth is that Norway and Russia have not even agreed on a meeting date.
Experiences that could provide some insights.
The background is that Norway, following an EU order, has chosen to sanction two Russian shipping companies. Senior Researcher Anne-Kristin Jørgensen has described the situation in the following way: "The fisheries cooperation between Norway and Russia has survived several crises, but none can be compared we the situation we are currently facing."
It is in the midst of this situation that Jette F. Christensen, in what she calls a 'normal rainy day in Kirkenes,' wants to shut down the Russian Consulate General.
Solves no problems
The alternative to a closure, she writes, is "that a perception spreads that Norwegian authorities are more afraid of Putin than protecting Norwegian sovereignty and the safety and freedom of Norwegian citizens and mayors."
A rather outrageous claim. Not just against Norwegian authorities, but just as much against the part of the Norwegian population that is most skilled in managing our relationship with Russia.
Uses the local population as an alibi.
It is also a rather cowardly statement because the commentator, instead of accusing the government of running Putin's errands in Finnmark herself, uses the local population as an alibi.
There are many different opinions in the North about how everyday life on the border with Russia is experienced and what it should be met with. Of course there are. But to go from there to more than imply that the authorities are turning their backs on the population for the sake of Putin is quite a stretch. To put it mildly.
It would be far more interesting if, after a visit to the North, she were to raise the question of whether Norwegian authorities understand the consequences of living on the border with Russia, and adjust their measures accordingly.
There is a reason
Shutting down a consulate does not solve any of these problems. Instead, it intercepts yet another source of sialogue, but perhaps most importantly, a Russian opportunity to strengthen its domestic propaganda. The Russian narratives of an aggressive Norway do not lessen by throwing out every Russian or closing every information channel.
There is a reason why Norway still has a consulate in St. Petersburg and an embassy in Moscow.
The more we know about each other, the better equipped we are to "protect Norwegian sovereignty and the safety and freedom of Norwegian citizens and mayors," to turn Jette F. Christensen's arguments in a direction that makes sense rather than being meaningless.
