Order dispute with Russia

It is very interesting times we are living in.

The news that finds itself in fairly anonymous places can be fairly hairy. Now, north of Norway, in the disputed Grey Area, the Norwegian Coast Guard is hunting a Russian trawler towards Russian Territory. The trawler Elektron has been banned du to illegal fishing methods on previous occations and was this time disclosed by two on-board fishing inspectors. The Norwegian ship Coast Guard Tromsø is was on their way to esscort this vessel to a Norwegian port. There seems to be many discrepancies and explanations as to what, how and why happened next. The information is very scant in official press releases from different high ranking sources.

What everyone agrees on, is that the Norwegian Royal Navy is now in pursuit. Elektron changed its course rapidly and thereafter refused to comply with any orders issued. The captain has threatened to set his ship on collision course through RNA Novosti. Now it is followed by four navy ships from Norway. While the Coast Guard want to keep their inspectors on deck, the Foreign Ministry insists on having them brought off the ship. The Russian Navy say they have no intention of intervening, while rumours fly and politicians mouth off.

Check out Dagladet

expressen.se

mil.no

Yes, it is no dispute. While mil.no calls it grave environmental criminality and that the pundits must comply, the Foreign Ministry smoothens everything up on their pages. Whoopti do it is nothing serious:

The Foreign Ministry is kept informed on a running basis. This is not a conflict between Norwegian and Russian authorities. There is however intimate contact between Norway and Russia on a diplomatic level. There is nothing to suggest that this case will have negative repercussions on the good relationships with Russia.

- or something like that.

The bottom line seems to be what it has been for the last 30 years. A territorial dispute and a setting of rules to fishing in that Gray Area. The deputy minister for fishing at Murmansk, Vadim Sokolov, expresses outrage and calls the attempted impounding an act of war. He might not be high enough up on the rank of power in Russia, but he holds some local power. As is his tone, the history of Elektron and the disputes in official rhetoric, I would suspect him to have very deep pockets. Such people are dangerous in one of the most isotope doped places on earth.

So, even if the newly ordained Minister of Foreign Affairs expresses indignation, the diplomats are drinking vodka together. As we speak so to say. And, even if the Norwegian Armed Forces is notorious for not doing anything the Department of Defence tells them to, they really are just fighting environmental crime.