... an elevated threat from Russia. The Norwegian posture was more benevolent when the Soviet counterpart enjoyed superiority in conventional military power. In contrast, NATO’s combined military budget today is approximately ten times greater than the Russian expenditures. The nefarious deceit of NATO and Norway since the early 1990s has been to pursue relentless eastward expansion and militarisation under the claim of not targeting Russia, while simultaneously functioning as an 'insurance guarantee' against a future conflict with Russia by ‘returning’ ...
... the Norwegian demarche over Rogozin's visit must have been at least a three-pronged trial to test the strength of Russia's approach to Spitsbergen, to show determination in defending its sovereignty to the electorate, and to confirm its commitment to Russia sanctions imposed by the EU and NATO partners. The Western appeal seems most interesting – should they express solidarity with Norway on its dissatisfaction about Rogozin's stopover, they would automatically support the Norwegian broad interpretation of the 1920 Treaty.
Oslo appears to regard the statement of a principled position as being more important than practical results ...
... NATO to secure its national interest in the Arctic Norway sees NATO as “the essential source of security and stability in an unpredictable world”[viii], and is thus actively promoting NATO’s role in the Arctic, mostly to counterweight Russia’s military rebuilding programs in the region. Norway also considers that “only NATO can provide the necessary deterrence and reassurance” in the region. One of the main objectives of the military exercise in Finnmark is accordingly to “show the world, and of course (Norway’s) neighbor in this East, that NATO is ...
... aimed at ensuring that the collapse of the Soviet Union and the emergence of a new Russia did not have a destabilising influence on the situation in the region. They were... ... include political forces that are ready to support the entry of Finland and Sweden into NATO and to help these states become deeply integrated into the military and political... ... implementation, and not winding it up, the Conservative Party that came to power in Norway after the last parliamentary elections has intensified the ritual bellicose anti-Russian...
... After Britain joined in the program and, following the “principle of corporate competition in projects”, insisted that the the matter was transferred from the military to civil structures, multilateral cooperation practically came to an end. Norway and the U.S.A. in essence withdrew from the agreement, staying only as observers
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An important area in the Russian-NATO relations may be measures to ensure environmental security and balanced nature management. The shift in the Alliance’s priorities in the security area towards non-military risks and threats is one of the new points in the NATO Strategic Concept ...
