MOSCOW, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- Russia on Tuesday lodged a strong protest with Norway over the continued seizure of Russian movable and immovable property in the country, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
Bjørn Svenungsen, Norway's charge d'affaires in Moscow, was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry, where the protest was formally conveyed, according to a statement posted on the ministry's website.
It said that the Russian research vessel Professor Molchanov remained detained at the Norwegian port of Barentsburg in the Svalbard archipelago.
On Oct. 28, the District Court of North Troms and Senja in Norway rejected an appeal filed by the Russian Arcticugol Trust, potentially prolonging the legal proceedings for several months, the statement said.
Russia warned that keeping the vessel, which is not designed for prolonged winter mooring, in the harsh Arctic climate could cause serious technical damage and have severe environmental consequences.
Moscow called on Oslo to fully comply with international law, including the provisions of the Svalbard Treaty, which guarantees citizens of signatory countries freedom of access to the archipelago.
The ministry said the detention of the vessel had significantly restricted such access. It added that, amid Norway's unilateral restrictions against Russia, which had led to the suspension of air links between Russia and Svalbard, the Professor Molchanov had been the only means of directly transporting Russian personnel and essential supplies to the archipelago.
The ministry also said that five Russian-owned properties in Oslo had been seized by a Norwegian court on Sept. 22, calling on Norway to strictly observe international law, including the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and the 2004 UN Convention on Jurisdictional Immunities of States and Their Property.
Russia's Foreign Ministry and relevant government agencies will continue efforts to have the seizures lifted, the statement said, adding that the Russian consul general in Svalbard was providing necessary consular and other assistance to the crew members remaining aboard the vessel. ■