Norway's Security Service Using 'Russian Threats' as Form of Propaganda, Moscow Says

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Norwegian Police Security Service (PST) resorts to primitive propaganda to intimidate Norwegians by imaginary enemies, the Russian Embassy in the country said, while commenting on the PST report that suggested that Moscow and Beijing had been collecting intelligence on Norway's petroleum sector.

Russian diplomats criticised Oslo, slamming the Norwegian reports on Facebook.

"There is nothing new in the PST's statements on 'Russian threats' to the petroleum sector – just general rhetoric. The security service has been engaged in primitive propaganda for many years, intimidating Norway's population, searching for enemies where they do not exist," the embassy wrote.

Oil and gas company Statoil gas processing and CO2 removal platform Sleipner T is pictured in the offshore near the Stavanger, Norway, February 11, 2016

© REUTERS / Nerijus Adomaitis/File Photo

The embassy added that Oslo should consider establishing substantive cooperation with Moscow in the security sphere and strengthening the bilateral relations, rather than demonising Russia.

"The respective Russian proposals are regularly submitted to the PST and Norway's Foreign Ministry, the Norwegian side is to respond," the embassy said.

Norway discovered and began producing oil on its continental shelf in the 1970s. According to the Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy, in 2019, the combined share of petroleum and gas in Norway's total exports equalled 47 percent. The total net cash flow from the industry is expected to constitute roughly 10 percent of Norway's revenue in the 2021 fiscal budget.