Norway sends the ambassador to Putin’s inauguration ceremony – KrF thunders

War and conflicts: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirms to VG on Tuesday that Kvile will attend the ceremony, where Putin starts his fifth term as President of Russia.

The participation takes place despite the fact that relations between Norway and Russia are very tense due to Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, which has been condemned by a majority of the countries in the UN.

According to VG, several countries have announced that they will not be present during Putin’s ceremony. Among them are Germany, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

– Norway’s relationship with Russia is strongly influenced by Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine, says State Secretary Eivin Vad Peterson (Ap) in a statement to VG.

– Russia is on the wrong side of history. Nevertheless, it is in Norway’s interest to maintain diplomatic channels with our neighboring country, not least in challenging times, in order to be able to deal with important issues of safety at sea, fisheries cooperation and border management. That is why Norway is represented by our ambassador at the presidential inauguration, he adds.

– When the government sends the Norwegian ambassador to Putin’s inauguration ceremony, this will unfortunately help to legitimize an election that is not at all legitimate, free or fair. What we know in any case is that Russia’s propaganda apparatus will use this for all it’s worth, says Ulstein in an email to NTB.

– The signal this sends to Ukraine and the Baltic countries is also completely wrong. I wonder if the government was honest about this in the conversation with the President of Moldova, who was on a state visit yesterday, he continues.

The Foreign Ministry says the reason why Norway still chooses to participate is that they believe it is in Norway’s interest to maintain diplomatic channels with Russia.

Deputy leader and foreign policy spokesperson for KrF, Dag-Inge Ulstein, reacts strongly to the Norwegian ambassador being present during the ceremony, and believes it sends the wrong signals.