I’d like to issue a quick warning for Nettavisen being a liberal bourgeois Scandinavian news source, so you can expect some cringe. I believe you need a VPN to access NRK’s website from outside Norway — I don’t know if this applies to Nettavisen, though.
NETTAVISEN JAN 14 2025: LIBERAL HEAD OF SVALBARD LOCAL GOVERNMENT WANTS INCREASED MILITARY PRESENCE
Trump’s comments on Greenland have raised the question of whether Svalbard could be next on the list
Leader of the Svalbard local government Terje Aunevik (Liberal) wishes to see more soldiers welcomed to the island’s seas. The leader of the Svalbard Labor Party clearly rejects this proposal for his part, the Norwegian News Agency reports.
—“Given the contemporary security situation and the strengthening of the Armed Forces on the mainland, I think it’s only natural that this should also happen on Svalbard,” Aunevik said to NRK.
Aunevik is not alone in wanting to see a stronger defense of Svalbard. President-elect of the United States Donald Trump’s interest in taking over Greenland has raised questions on whether Svalbard might be the next target on the list.
In that context, leader of Norway’s Christian Democratic Party Dag-Inge Ulstein, who was the rapporteur for the Svalbard message, also argued in favor of an increased military presence.
The Svalbard Treaty
The Svalbard Treaty is an international treaty intended to secure Norway’s “full and unrestricted sovereignty” over Svalbard.
It sets simultaneously some terms that Norway must fulfill in its administration of the area, among other things when it comes to the equal treatment of people and businesses from all countries which have signed the treaty, and limitations on the use of the archipelago for certain military purposes.
The Svalbard Treaty was signed on February 9th, 1920, and went into effect August 14th, 1925, and is ratified by 44 countries altogether.
You may read the full text of the treaty on Lovdata’s websites.
Sources: Regjeringen and Store Norske Leksikon.
Leader of local Labor Party branch warns
A number of people want more military activity, but leader of the Svalbard Labor Party Svein Jonny Albrigtsen clearly refuses the idea. He believes it can contribute to more conflict and tension.
A spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, has warned that an increased military presence will constitute a violation of the Svalbard Treaty.
Leader of the Svalbard local government Terje Aunevik believes for his part that the treaty does not limit “making oneself known in the area with vehicles”.
On Russian TV: Spitsbergen is important to us
At the same time, Putin’s friends in the Russian media are enjoying themselves with discussions of the uncertainty Donald Trump is creating within NATO. On Russian state TV, the celebrity Vladimir Solovyov and his guests newly raised the question on whether the war in the Arctic has already started, and started hinting at an appetite for Svalbard.
—“Spitsbergen is important to us. It’s a sore point for our Northern Fleet,[1]” member of the State Duma Andrei Gurulyov expressed in the program Evening with Vladimir Solovyov.[2] The program is translated into English by Russian Media Monitor [TL note: as expected, RMM has some serious MEMRI TV vibes] which is created by American journalist Julia Davis. She describes some of these remarks in an article for the Daily Beast on Monday. Solovyov and his guests have a low threshold for threats against and laughing at the West and suggesting more Russian aggression. Gurulyov suggested that Russia could make an agreement with the USA and take its own part of Greenland, whereas Solovyov called Scandinavia a “loogie” that no-one understands why exists, and said that the region represents a threat to Russia.
NRK JAN 9 2025: STØRE ON TRUMP’S GREENLAND AMBITIONS: SVALBARD IS NORWAY, SVALBARD IS SAFE
There’s a complete crisis in Denmark after Donald Trump’s moving in on Greenland. Støre says that he’d gladly be invited to Fox News if Svalbard is the next on the list.
—“It’s not OK to imply [willingness to use] military force against an ally. It’s not OK to imply that one wishes to take land under another country’s sovereignty.”
This is what Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said to NRK’s Political Quarter.
This week, the US president-elect said that he could not rule out the use of military force to acquire Greenland.
—“You say that we should take him seriously, but not literally?”
—“The last time Trump was president we learned that it’s one thing what he says, it’s another thing how he says it. We know that this is a politician who communicates politics in a different way.” [Støre said]
Støre underlines that already in 2019, Trump made known his desire to buy Greenland, something that was quickly rejected.
—“But I’d still like to say that it is not OK to express oneself in that way.”
—“For Europe, this is serious.”
—“The whole point of NATO is that we have a security fellowship where the thought is to solve conflict without force. Right now [Trump]'s breaching that contract.”
These are the words of Iver B. Neumann, director of the Fridtjof Nansen Institute (FNI).
—“Trump doesn’t understand that these aren’t business deals, but a game with different rules. For Europe this is serious.”
—“The USA has gone from a guarantor of security to a challenge to security.”
Neumann believes that we should be thankful that Norwegian politicians are largely in agreement with regard to foreign policy, unlike [politicians in] other countries; and that one should “keep a cool head” when meeting with the USA’s fumbling.
—“Let’s remember that when Trump was [last] president, Norway had an expanded cooperation with the USA in the north,” Støre adds.
Is Svalbard next?
The [far] north is strategically important for many countries. The great powers, namely China, Russia, and the USA have many interests there, and Norway likewise.
Two members of the United States Congress have stated that Norway does not have a good enough control of the Chinese researchers in Ny Ålesund in Svalbard.
—“These [congresspeople] were exaggerating a bit. The letter is not well-founded in facts or research. I think Norwegian forces have good control. Svalbard is in any case a completely different matter,” FNI researcher Andreas Østhagen says.
He points to a few reasons why:
- Greenland sees itself as independent, and Svalbard does not.
- Greenland has some 50,000 inhabitants, Svalbard only 2,500.
- Greenland is in North America, and Svalbard is not.
—“As I see it, the USA is satisfied with how Norway administers Svalbard, but that doesn’t necessarly mean we’ll never hear these types of remarks from Trump in the future.”
Regarding the question of whether Norway has control of Svalbard, Støre resolutely answered:
—“We do. Svalbard is Norway.”
—“Are you scared they’ll start talking about Svalbard on Fox News?”
—“I’d readily accept an invitation [to appear on Fox News]. Svalbard is Norway and Svalbard is safe.”
Trump Jr. lands in Nuuk
It was earlier this week that Donald Trump Jr. landed on Greenland in Trump’s private plane. With a large collection of photographs, and journalists surrounding him, he was there as a tourist according to himself.
Simultaneously, Donald Trump, who has clearly stated his intentions to take over Greenland, stated that he would not rule out the use of military or economic force to ensure that the USA gains control of the world’s biggest island.
“Make Greenland great Again,” Trump wrote on his own [social media] platform.
Greenland is a part of the Danish kingdom, and Trump’s moves have created strong reactions [in the Danish realm] and throughout Europe.
On Wednesday, Danish prime minister Mette Fredriksen called in an emergency meeting. She has previously said that Greenland is not for sale.
—“The USA is our absolute closest ally, and we always wish to work more closely with the Americans,” she said.