Norwegian MFA about so-called Russian election: “Not free, not fair, not democratic”
“I want to express my sympathy and support to the Russians that continue to dare to work for a different and better Russia,” says Minister of Foreign Affairs, Espen Barth Eide.
“The so-called election in Russia was neither free nor fair. It was not an election the way we know from democracy,” Barth Eide says in a statement.
He also condemns the fact that the vote was held in parts of Ukraine that Russia occupies.
“This is a serious violation of international law,” he underlines.
The foreign minister is strongly concerned about the mounting level of political repression and expresses support to all Russians working for change.
“The election took place as prominent regime critics and opposition forces are in prison, locked away in remote penal colonies or forced into exile [and] the main opposition leader Aleksei Navalny died in Putin’s penal colony,” he says.
“I want to express my sympathy and support to the Russians that still dare to work for, and envision, a different and better Russia,” he underlines and adds that “Norway condemns Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine.”
The statement from Espen Barth Eide is a sharp contrast to the statement made by former Norwegian PM Erna Solberg in 2018.
“Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, I congratulate you on your reelection as president of the Russian Federation.”
“Norway emphasizes a good and constructive relationship with Russia. As neighbors in the north, we have many mutual interests and important challenges that best can be addressed jointly.”
“Our two countries have developed an extensive cooperation and wide-reaching contact within a series of areas. The Norwegian government looks forward to good cooperation and contact with Russia in fields of common interest,” Solberg underlined.
The so-called elections in 2018 came four years after Russia annexed Crimea and occupation of parts of Ukraine’s Lugansk and Donetsk regions. In 2018, Putin recorded 77,66 percent of the votes. In 2024, the Kremlin’s official result was more than 87 percent.
Related stories from around the North:
Canada : Canadian military says it has tracked, stopped China surveillance in Arctic waters, The Canadian Press
Iceland : Iceland authorizes U.S. submarine service visits, Eye on the Arctic
Finland: Thousands may be waiting to cross Finnish-Russian frontier, border official says, Yle News
Norway: Norwegian intelligence warns about mounting Russian threats, The Independent Barents Observer
Sweden : Russian spy ships surveying Nordic energy infrastructure, Radio Sweden
United States: Arctic Security-University of Alaska Anchorage to lead center of excellence, Eye on the Arctic
