Russian missile cruiser saiing to the shores of Shpitsbergen

MOSCOW, July 17 (Itar-Tass) - The Russian Northern Fleet's missile
cruiser "Marshal Ustinov" will arrive in the Arctic region near
Shpitsbergen on Thursday to join the Severomorsk anti-submarine ship
which is already there.

"The ships of the Northern Fleet will call at Arctic regions as often
as necessary. All actions carried out by Russian warships are in strict
compliance with international law, including the 1982 Convention on the
Law of the Sea," a Russian Navy spokesperson said.

Norway has announced a 200-mile territory around Shpitsbergen an area
of its exclusive economic activitiy and interferes with the work of
Russian fishermen outside Spitsbergen despite the archipelago's special
status. The Russian Navy supreme commander Admiral Vladimir Vysotsky
believes the presence of Russian ships near Shpitsbergen will render
psychological support to the Russian fishermen during a commercial fishing
season.

The Shpitsbergen archipelago is located in the northernmost part of
Norway in the Arctic Ocean. The archipelago has a special status which
allows not only Norwawy but also Russia to engage in economic activities
in its vicinity. Russia has a Russian settlement on western Shpitsbergen -
the town of Barentsburg . The archipelago has two official languages -
Norwegian and Russian. Russians don't need a visa to visit the archipelago.
Russia mines coal on Shpitsbergen and does fishing in the surrounding
sea.