KIRKENES, October 25. /TASS/. The situation around Norwegian national Frode Berg jailed in Russia for espionage will not affect ties between Oslo and Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters on Thursday.
This does not affect bilateral relations "in any way," Lavrov reassured.

He added that Berg might return to Norway "at any time." The Norwegian citizen was recommended for a pardon earlier on Thursday.

On April 16, a Moscow court found Norwegian national Frode Berg guilty of spying against Russia and sentenced him to 14 years in a maximum security penitentiary. Berg was arrested in Moscow on December 5, 2017 in a special operation staged by Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB). The Norwegian had been gathering information about Russian nuclear submarines, which he obtained from a defense sector employee acting under the control of Russian intelligence. The prosecutor in the case said that Berg had been working for Norway’s intelligence, receiving cash payments for his services.