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Norway did not allow passage of goods to Russian settlements in Svalbard

Goods to Russian settlements in Svalbard were normally delivered from Murmansk to Tromso by trucks via Storskog checkpoint and then to Barentsburg by sea

STOCKHOLM, June 28. /TASS/. Norway refused to allow transport of goods for Russian settlements in Svalbard via Storskog border crossing point, Norwegian NRK TV Channels says on Tuesday, citing the comment of the country’s foreign ministry.

"The specific request to authorize freight transportation was rejected," the Norway’s Foreign Ministry said.

According to the TV Channel, the Russian embassy in Oslo sent the request related to "the authorization to carry foods for Russian miners’ settlement Barentsburg on behalf of Arcticugol Company."

Goods to Russian settlements in Svalbard were normally delivered from Murmansk to Tromso by trucks via Storskog, the single checkpoint on the Russian-Norwegian border, and then to Barentsburg by sea. About 500 persons are living in the settlement, including miners working on coal mines of Russia’s Arcticugol.

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