Halfwit lawmaker says Russia should establish bases on Svalbard
Andrei Gurylev, a member of the Defense Committee of the State Duma, told the Russia-1 channel it is necessary to move from joint development of Svalbard to a Russian option.
Gurylev talked about Svalbard in the well-known propaganda talk-show ‘Evening with Vladimir Solovyov’, a program that last Sunday discussed the consequences of Donald Trump Jr.'s ridiculous visit to Greenland and the president-elect’s threats to gain control of the huge Arctic island which is part of the kingdom of Denmark.
"The events of the last few days... they are quite rapid, and it must be acknowledged that, in essence, a war has begun in the Arctic," Gurylev said.
"... Spitsbergen is extremely important today," the parliamentarian who represents United Russia continued.
The Svalbard Treaty (originally the Spitsbergen Treaty) recognises the sovereignty of Norway over the archipelago which is located halfway between mainland Norway and the North Pole.
The waters in between forms the edge between the relatively shallow Barents Sea and the much deeper Norwegian Sea, and by that access to shipping lanes in the North Atlantic.
Svalbard is located "... in the underbelly of our Northern Fleet," Andrei Gurylev continued and it is necessary "... to move from joint development to Russian options."
The meaning of his words is for Russia to establish military bases on Svalbard.
Gurylev also noted that Russia should have a share of Greenland.
"Trump is declaring his claims to Greenland. Why shouldn't we look at Greenland? We need Greenland! This is not a joke. We absolutely need it!" he said. To implement this idea, the deputy suggested reaching an agreement not with the authorities of Greenland or Denmark, but with Donald Trump. "Well, finally, reach an agreement with Trump and divide Greenland into a couple of parts," he said.
Before being elected to the Russian parliament in 2021, Andrei Gurylev was an army officer who served as deputy commander of the Southern Military District.
The lawmaker has previously made headlines with wild and freakish statements. Last summer, in the same Kremlin propaganda TV-show, he called for a nuclear strike in the heart of Europe to cripple the continent's energy facilities, Newsweek reported.
Although a State Duma member with the largest political party, United Russia, Gurylev's statements are normally far beyond official Russian policies.
Svalbard Treaty
Today, Russia has two settlements on Svalbard; the mining town of Barentsburg and the town of Pyramiden where digging for coal came to an end in 1998. Moscow now has big plans, although little money, to establish an international Arctic research centre in Pyramiden, in cooperation with BRICS countries and other states friendly to Russia.
Norwegian sovereignty is not disputed, and Svalbard is Norwegian. However, the 1920 Treaty allows for citizens of all signature countries, including Russia, to conduct economic activities at the archipelago as long as they follow Norwegian law.
Moscow has constantly, and loudly, over the last few years expressed disagreements with Oslo on how to interpret the Svalbard Treaty, but is in overall following rules and norms.
Andreas Østhagen, an Arctic security expert with the Fridtjof Nansen Institute, says to the Barents Observer that the Treaty merely states that Svalbard cannot be used for war purposes and that Norway cannot have military bases there.
He underlines that the archipelago is not ‘demilitarized'.
"Both Norwegian coast guard vessels and frigates call at Longyearbyen for various reasons," Østhagen notes.
More Norwegian presence
The head of Longyearbyen local authorities, Terje Aunevik, says to Norwegian broadcaster NRK that he wants more Norwegian military presence at Svalbard.
"In line with the current security situation, and with more armed forces on the mainland, I think it is natural that this also happens in Svalbard. Because Svalbard is part of the Kingdom of Norway," Aunevik says.
Member of the Norwegian Storting (Parliament), Dag-Inge Ulstein, and leader of the Parliament's standing committee on defense and foreign affairs, Ine Eriksen Søreide, have both said it could come more Norwegian military presence to protect Svalbard.
