“Norway is increasing its military budget and its defence spending per capita is now the largest in Europe and the second largest among NATO countries,” Russia’s foreign ministry said in a statement posted on its website.
It added: "Norway is modernising its military infrastructure and buying modern weapons. Its military development plans are obviously spearheaded against Russia."
According to the Russian foreign ministry, NATO allies are increasingly using Norway’s territory and the Norwegian authorities “have actually abandoned” their “commitment to the principle of non-deployment of foreign troops in the national territory in peacetime.”
The foreign ministry in Moscow also said in its statement that “more and more military exercises and drills are being held ever closer to Russia’s land and sea borders.”
Russia's foreign ministry said its top diplomat Sergei Lavrov would raise these concerns during "an in-depth discussion" with his Norwegian counterpart on Friday.
“We hope that the Norwegian side will provide arguments explaining its active military preparations on Russia’s borders,” the Russian foreign ministry said.
According to Poland’s forsal.pl website, Norway plans to buy military hardware including the latest-generation F-35 fighter jets, submarines and maritime patrol aircraft for its armed forces by 2026 under plans unveiled by the country's government in March.
(gs)
Source: forsal.pl, mid.ru