Russia says they ‘will have to react’ to Norway joining NATO missile shield

Soldiers from the armed forces ' special command, NorwaySoldiers from the armed forces ' special command, Norway.Photo: Cornelius Poppe / SCANPIX

Russia announced that the country will be forced to react if Norway chooses to be part of the NATO missile shield.

In a statement sent to Klassekampen, the Russian Embassy in Oslo responded sharply to news of a possible Norwegian participation in the missile shield.

‘In case of missile defense systems being deployed on Norwegian soil, we will have to react to defend our own security’, wrote the press attaché at the embassy, Maxim Gurov.

The statement does not specify what kind of reaction the Russian authorities envisage. The embassy connected the discussion about missile defense to other political events concerning defenses in recent months.

‘We follow concernedly the trend in Norwegian security policy, involving serious decisions, such as diverging from the previous self-imposed limitation of not stationing foreign military bases in Norwegian territory’, said the embassy.

Gurov noted that last autumn, Norway let the U.S.A. deploy marine infantrymen outside Trondheim.

 

Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today