Norway limits sale of private property in Svalbard

FILE PHOTO: Scientists drive their snowmobiles cross the arctic during dawn near Ny-Alesund, Svalbard, Norway, April 10, 2023. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner/File Photo

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Norway said on Monday it had demanded the owner of a private property on the Arctic Svalbard islands obtain the government's consent before selling the property, over concerns national security interests could be jeopardised through a sale.

The company AS Kulspids, which owns Soere Fagerfjord in Svalbard, must obtain consent from the ministry of trade, industry and fisheries before negotiating a sale of the property, the Norwegian government said in a statement.

The Nordic country in late May said it planned to increase its control of Svalbard, as security concerns and climate change impact the Arctic archipelago.

The Nordic nation has long been concerned that tensions between western countries on the one hand, and with Russia or China on the other, could spill over to the vast outpost because of the archipelago's strategic position and of growing interest in the Arctic's valuable oil, gas and shipping routes.

"The current owners have for a long time expressed that they will sell the property or the company to actors from states with which Norway does not have security policy co-operation," the Norwegian government said in a statement.

"There is reason to believe that ... such an actor may wish to use the property to challenge Norwegian legislation and protection regulations in Svalbard in a way that could disrupt stability in the area and harm national security," it added.

Located around 700 km (435 miles) north of the European mainland, Svalbard is governed under a 1920 treaty giving Norway sovereignty but allowing citizens of signatory states to settle there without a Norwegian visa.

Soere Fagerfjord is located in a national park that was protected in 1973, and which is subject to strict restrictions, according to the Norwegian government.

(Reporting by Louise Breusch Rasmussen; Editing by Gwladys Fouche and Andrea Ricci)