HELSINKI (Reuters) -Russia accused Norway of militarising the Svalbard archipelago, a claim Norway denied in a comment to news agency NTB after Russia on Friday had summoned the Norwegian ambassador to Moscow over the matter.

Russia accused Norway of militarizing the Svalbard archipelago and said on Friday it had summoned the Norwegian ambassador to Moscow over the matter. "Moscow called on the Norwegian side to renounce any activity that undermines the international legal foundations of the archipelago's regime,

Russia has accused Norway of militarizing the Svalbard archipelago in violation of the Svalbard Treaty. The Russian Foreign Ministry has stated that Norway is increasingly integrating Svalbard into its military and political strategies,