Politics

In the Arctic, the last piece of private land is up for sale. This is of great importance to China and is causing the Norwegian authorities headaches. 

This isolated piece of land, 60 km2 of mountains and plains, barren of cultivation but bordered by a glacier, lies in the southwestern part of the Svalbard archipelago, between the Arctic and mainland Norway. And at a time of heightened tensions between the West and Russia and the retreat of the "pack ice", this Arctic region is becoming increasingly valuable. Both economically and geopolitically, reports Blue News. 

Today, the Søre Fagerfjord estate is up for sale for the modest sum of 300 million euros. Per Kyllingstad, the lawyer representing the sellers, praises the merits: "This is the last private land in Svalbard and, as far as we know, the last private land in the world in the far north." He adds that he has received "concrete signs of interest" from China. 

In 2018, as a sign of its importance, a white paper was dedicated to the region by China, which sees itself as "a state 'close to the North Pole' and plans to play an ever-growing role there," according to Blue News. To this day, the Svalbard archipelago is "ruled by a legal UFO" that beckons with foreign intentions and curiosities. "A 1920 treaty recognizes Norwegian sovereignty over the area, but also gives nationals of the contracting parties, including China, the right to exploit its natural resources 'on perfectly equal terms.'" Russia has several rights of way in this regard, and its state-owned company Trust Arktikugol is currently mining coal seams there. 

This was enough to infuriate Norway, which sees China, after Russia, as a major threat to the country. Cecilie Myrseth, Norway's minister of trade and industry, said the land could not be sold without the consent of Norwegian authorities, adding that it was "also not possible to start negotiations on the estate." The owners of the estate have been put in default by the prosecutor. The goal is to cancel the transfer.   

99.5% of Svalbard is owned by the Norwegian state, which "has classified most of the territory, including the Søre Fagerfjord estate, as a protected area where, in particular, building and motorized traffic are prohibited." But the sellers do not agree with these imposed restrictions, citing the 1920 treaty which states that "all parties should have the same rights," explains lawyer Per Kyllingstad. He points out that if the treaty is not complied with, Norway, which has built a number of infrastructures, including housing, port facilities and an airport, could ban Russian activities on the archipelago in one fell swoop, triggering "a Third World War."  

Andreas Østhagen, a researcher at the Nansen Institute, is more moderate on the subject. In particular, he explains that "the land in Søre Fagerfjord has a 'minimal' economic value and its possible sale does not pose a 'huge threat' to Norway." On the other hand, "owning land in Svalbard may have strategic value 50 or 100 years from now," he says. According to him, Chinese interest is a "red rag" to encourage Norway to do something with the area.

(SR and AsD for Tagtik/Source: Blue news/Illustration: Unsplash)