Russia is considering retaliatory measures against the Faroe Islands after the parliament of the autonomous Danish territory adopted a law giving the government the authority to ban Russian fishing companies from operating in Faroese waters, Reuters reported, citing the Russian Foreign Ministry, BTA reported.
The Faroe Islands' public television reported yesterday that the parliament had approved a bill giving the foreign minister the right to ban two large Russian companies - "Norebo" and "Murman Seafood" (Murman Seafood) - to carry out fishing activities in Faroese waters or to have their vessels dock in Faroese ports.
The European Union and Norway have already taken similar action, accusing the two companies of carrying out Russian-backed espionage activities in European waters - an accusation that both companies have strongly denied.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that the self-governing archipelago's "new hostile actions" called into question the Faroe Islands' commitment to a fisheries agreement signed with the Soviet Union in 1977.
The agreement, currently in force with Russia, as the successor state of the USSR, covers fishing quotas. The Faroe Islands export fish to Russia and, in exchange for allowing Russian vessels to fish in their waters, have access to the Barents Sea cod catch.
The Faroe Islands' actions have forced "the Russian side to start considering the introduction of appropriate retaliatory measures," Zakharova told reporters.
Despite the tightening of access to Faroese ports in 2023, Russian fishing vessels operating under a long-standing bilateral agreement are still allowed to dock at ports and fish in Faroese waters.