Russia does not intend to sacrifice the interests of its fishermen for the sake of preserving the fishing agreement with the Faroe Islands, Russian Ambassador to Copenhagen Vladimir Barbin said in an interview with RIA Novosti. According to the diplomat, recently the Faroe Islands, an autonomous region of Denmark, have shown a tendency to discriminate against Russian enterprises, in particular, by introducing restrictions on the entry of Russian fishing vessels into their ports.

In response to the actions of the Faroe Islands, Rosrybolovstvo proposed introducing a ban on the import of seafood from this region. Barbin emphasized that the retaliatory measures proposed by Russia are not aimed at worsening bilateral relations, but significantly worsen the prospects for maintaining cooperation in the field of fisheries.

“Cooperation with the Faroe Islands in the field of fisheries is possible only on the basis of mutual benefit, and the fate of the agreement depends on this. Russia will not make unilateral concessions and sacrifice the interests of its fishermen.”, noted Barbin.

Russia and the Faroe Islands mutually provide each other with quotas for fishing in their waters and the right to transship the catch in ports. The agreement between the two parties was signed in 1977 and is reviewed annually. Despite the extension of the treaty until 2024, current developments may impact the future of bilateral fisheries relations.