Norway’s opposition leader is worried that Olso is wearing down the country’s once close relations with Moscow. Norway’s opposition leader has criticised that country’s current government for failing to maintain good relations with Russia.Jonas Gahr Støre, the head of Arbejderpartiet, and the former foreign minister, agreed that Oslo ought to take a hard-line against Moscow over its involvement in eastern Ukraine, but said in an interview with Klassekampen, a left-leaning newspaper, that this should not come at the expense of good overall relations.
During his term as foreign minister, one of Mr Støre’s main concerns was the North. He worked to achieve good relations with Moscow, which led to several breakthrough deals, including the Varangerfjord Agreement, a maritime delimitation agreement in the Barents, and an arrangement that made it easier to cross the Russian-Norwegian border. He now fears several of these agreements might be threatened.
He notes that Oslo’s dissatisfaction that Moscow has permitted asylum seekers to cross the border into northern Norway seems to have worsened the situation.
However, he said he trusted that the government would come to terms with the Kremlin over the refugee situation.
