The ambassador of Russia to Norway is the official representative of the president and the government of the Russian Federation to the king and the government of Norway.
The ambassador and his staff work at large in the Russian embassy in Oslo. There are consulates general in Kirkenes and Barentsburg, Svalbard. The current Russian ambassador to Norway is , incumbent since 1 October 2024.
History of diplomatic relations
For much of the sixteenth to nineteenth centuries, Norway was part of larger political entities, as Denmark–Norway between 1537 and 1814, and the United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway between 1814 and 1905. With the dissolution of the union between Norway and Sweden in 1905, the Russian Empire became one of the first countries to recognise the newly independent Norway. A diplomatic mission was opened in the capital, then named Kristiania, and starting from the first representative, , ambassadors were exchanged for the next twelve years. Representation was maintained following the February Revolution in 1917 which brought the Russian Provisional Government, and following the October Revolution later that year, Norway recognised the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic. Representatives were changed after the establishment of the Soviet Union in 1922. In 1940, Norway was invaded and occupied by German forces, causing a break in diplomatic relations. Following the Axis invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, and the Soviet entry to the war on the Allied side, diplomatic relations were established with the Norwegian government-in-exile as part of the , with serving as ambassador.
With the German defeat and the return of the government to Norway, was appointed the new ambassador to Norway. Relations were maintained through the rest of the existence of the Soviet Union. With the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, Norway was the first western state to recognise the Russian Federation as its successor state, on 16 December 1991. The incumbent Soviet ambassador, , continued in post as the Russian ambassador until 1995.
List of representatives of Russia to Norway (1905–present) Russian Empire to Norway (1905–1917) NameTitleAppointmentTerminationNotesEnvoy19 November 19051912Envoy19121914Envoy19143 March 1917
Russian Provisional Government to Norway (1917) NameTitleAppointmentTerminationNotesDmitry Kotzebue-Pilar von PilauChargé d'affaires19171917
Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic to Norway (1917–1922) NameTitleAppointmentTerminationNotesVatslav VorovskyDiplomatic representativeNovember 19171919Diplomatic representative7 October 192130 June 1922Jakob SuritzDiplomatic representative29 May 192230 December 1922
Soviet Union to Norway (1922–1991) NameTitleAppointmentTerminationNotesJakob SuritzDiplomatic representative30 December 192227 April 1923Alexandra KollontaiChargé d'affaires before 18 August 1924Plenipotentiary representative after 18 August 192410 March 19244 March 1926 Credentials presented on 8 September 1924 Plenipotentiary representative4 March 192625 October 1927Credentials presented on 20 April 1926 Alexandra KollontaiPlenipotentiary representative25 October 192720 July 1930Credentials presented on 24 November 1927Alexander BekzadyanPlenipotentiary representative30 October 193017 November 1934Credentials presented on 3 January 1931 Plenipotentiary representative17 November 193426 December 1937Credentials presented on 11 January 1935Vladimir NikonovPlenipotentiary representative26 December 19373 September 1939 Credentials presented on 8 March 1938 Plenipotentiary representative1 October 1939 26 June 1940 Credentials presented on 17 October 1939Invasion and occupation of Norway - Diplomatic relations interrupted (1940-1941)Ambassador21 August 194130 November 1943To the Norwegian government-in-exile as part of the Credentials presented on 9 October 1941Ambassador30 November 19436 January 1945 To the Norwegian government-in-exile as part of the Credentials presented on 26 January 1944Ambassador19 June 19458 June 1947Credentials presented on 5 July 1945 Ambassador8 June 194727 January 1954Credentials presented on 8 July 1947Ambassador27 January 195426 April 1956Credentials presented on 20 April 1954 Ambassador26 April 195620 January 1962Credentials presented on 5 June 1956Ambassador20 January 196218 January 1968Credentials presented on 6 March 1962 Ambassador18 January 19682 April 1975Credentials presented on 27 February 1968 Ambassador2 April 197520 February 1982Credentials presented on 6 May 1975Dmitry PolyanskyAmbassador20 February 198226 March 1987Credentials presented on 20 April 1982Ambassador26 March 198714 June 1990Ambassador13 September 199025 December 1991
Russian Federation to Norway (1991–present) NameTitleAppointmentTerminationNotesAmbassador25 December 19914 January 1995Ambassador4 January 19956 June 1997Ambassador23 July 199716 December 2003Aleksandr PanovAmbassador29 April 200420 June 2006Ambassador20 June 200620 July 2010Ambassador20 July 20105 May 2016 Teimuraz RamishviliAmbassador11 October 20161 October 2024Ambassador1 October 2024Credentials presented on 14 November 2024
References