Moscow has warned the Faroe Islands, an autonomous region of Denmark, about the consequences of imposing restrictions on Russian fishermen, Ilya Shestakov, head of the Federal Fisheries Agency, told RIA Novosti.
“We have officially warned the Faroe Islands about the potential consequences of imposing restrictions; we have sent a letter. We hope that the Faroese parliament will make the right decision and will not disrupt the existing cooperation between our countries in the field of fisheries“, Shestakov said.
He noted that the Faroese bill banning Russian vessels from fishing in the archipelago waters has not yet been adopted. If restrictions are imposed on Russia, the agreement will have to be reviewed.
“And it won’t be very good for them,“ he concluded.
In August, media reported that the Faroese parliament was considering a bill introducing restrictive measures on the Russian fishing companies Norebo and Murman Seafood. The European Union and Norway had previously adopted similar measures due to suspicions of espionage.
An industry source told RIA Novosti that the Faroese restrictions on Russian fishing companies would lead to retaliatory measures: Russia would be forced to close access to its market.
In 2023, the Faroe Islands already imposed restrictions on Russian fishing vessels. At that time, Rosrybolovstvo proposed that the government ban the import of fish products from these islands as a retaliatory measure.
The agreement between the USSR and the Faroe Islands on mutual relations in the field of fisheries was signed in 1977. According to it, Russia grants the Faroe Islands a fishing quota in the Barents Sea, while the Russian side is allowed to fish in Faroese waters and tranship its catch in local ports.