Arkhangelsk
Russia withdraws accreditation of Norwegian honorary consul Andrei Shalyov
The 15 years in service were a period of "interesting events, projects, meetings and hopes," Andrei Shalyov writes in social media after Moscow stripped of his accreditation.
Russia's Foreign Ministry in Moscow has withdrawn the exequatur and accreditation of Arkhangelsk citizen Andrei Shalyov. The move comes amid growing tensions as Russia has listed Norway as a "very unfriendly country."
With the closure in Arkhangelsk, Norway has no longer any representation in Russia's northern regions.
Arkhangelsk was for decades after the collapse of the Soviet Union a central stage for Norwegian-Russian cooperation. University exchange, joint business projects, tourism, healthcare, as well as a wide range of cultural and environmental cooperation involved thousands of people from the two countries.
Shalyov was a facilitator. First as head of the local Barents information centre with the Pomor University, later as Norway's honorary consul. After Russia's full-scale barbaric war against Ukraine, the honorary consulate has served a region where not one single Norwegian is living. Neither are there any Norwegian businesses left.
In 2022, Oslo decided to shut down its Consulate General in Murmansk after harassment of diplomats and local employees.
Norway, however, insisted to maintain the honorary consulate in Arkhangelsk.
From the Foreign Ministry’s 2024-budget via the Norwegian Embassy in Moscow, some 60,000 kroner are allocated to cover office expenses for running the honorary consulate in Arkhangelsk. The north Russian region is in size nearly as big as France.
Ambassador Robert Kvile with the Embassy in Moscow says to the Barents Observer that Norway has "no immediate plans to suggest a new candidate" as honorary consul in Arkhangelsk.
Russia's Foreign Ministry has not immediately replied to a request for comment from the Barents Observer.
Shalyov himself informs in a post on Facebook that his powers as honorary consul of Norway in Arkhangelsk have ceased.
"It was a time of interesting events, projects, meetings and hopes. Not all of them came true, not all were realised. But I am sure that our work was useful," Shalyov writes.
"We wanted Arkhangelsk to once again become an open international city, as this city was conceived when it was founded. It is not for me to judge how effective this work was, but I strove to carry it out in a way that would be equally useful to both Norwegians and Russians."
