Norway Should Not Follow US, EU Anti-Russian Sanctions Policy - Scholar

Norway should stay away from US and EU sanctions against Russia, which only fuel tensions and anti-Western sentiment around the world, said a noted Norwegian scholar.

Norway is not an EU member and, therefore, is not obliged to heed their decisions on sanctioning Russia, says Åsmund Egge, a professor emeritus in modern Russian history, in an article carried by Aftenposten newspaper.

"Instead of kowtowing to the EU and squandering a millennia-long history of good-neighborly ties with Russia, the Norwegian government should forget the policy of sanctions and seek negotiated solutions to the problems at hand,” Professor Egge  noted.

Sanctions lead us nowhere, he continued, pointing to close political and economic ties Norwegians and Russians have enjoyed ever since the times of Vikings.

“Our countries have never been at war against each other, we have always settled our differences through negotiations and this is exactly what the present Norwegian government is going to destroy with its ill-advised policy of sanctions against Russia”, Professor Egge argued.