Norway’s government considers closing ports for Russian ships
The EU has proposed closing ports to Russian ships as part of the sanctions. The Norwegian government will consider the proposal.
On Tuesday, the European Commission presented the fifth sanctions package aimed at Russia. It includes a proposal to introduce a ban on Russian ships in EU ports.
The proposal must be adopted by all the Member States of the Union. This proposal is also being considered by the Norwegian government, the Ministry of Trade and Industry told NTB.
“Norway stands together with the EU and other countries to ensure that the sanctions are strong and effective, and we will also implement this sanctions package. We will now review the proposals from the Commission and assess whether there is a need for adjustments when the package is to be incorporated into Norwegian law,” Minister of Fisheries and Maritime Affairs Bjørnar Skjæran (AP) stated.
Closed ports
Closed ports were one of the measures requested by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy when he addressed the Norwegian parliament (Storting) last week. After the speech, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre (AP) made it clear that such a measure was not relevant for Norway, as Norway and Russia have extensive fisheries cooperation. Conservative Party (H) leader Erna Solberg also didn’t think it was a good idea at the time.
The proposal from the EU states to stop Russian ships from entering EU ports includes some exceptions – for necessary goods such as food, humanitarian aid, and energy. The sanctions package was presented a few days after photos from the town of Butsja shocked the world.
“The events in Butsja have shaken us all, and must have consequences for Russia,” Skjæran said.
Source: © NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today / #NorwayTodayNews
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