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The Russian Foreign Ministry has sent a note of protest to Norway’s embassy following the Norwegian Coast Guard’s detention of a Russian fishing trawler off Spitsbergen on April 2, the ministry’s Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a briefing on Friday.

"The Russian Foreign Ministry has sent a note to the Norwegian embassy in Moscow. The document says that such actions by the Norwegian authorities cause serious concern. We have repeatedly informed Norway that Russia does not recognize the so-called fisheries protection zone around Spitsbergen," Zakharova pointed out, quoted by TASS news agency.

"We believe that the Norwegian Coast Guard’s practice of detaining foreign vessels is in line with Norway’s policy aimed at wrongfully extending its rights in relation to the archipelago in breach of the 1920 Spitsbergen Treaty," the Russian diplomat added.

"This year marks the centennial anniversary of the document and we urge Oslo to strictly comply with the spirit and letter of the treaty based on the idea of international cooperation and mutual respect for the rights and legal interests of states parties," Zakharova said.