Svalbard Treaty Totally Explained

Everything about Svalbard Treaty totally explained

The Treaty concerning Spitsbergen of February 9 1920 declared the arctic archipelago of Spitsbergen (now called Svalbard) an overseas part of the Kingdom of Norway (article 1). However, as part of the compromise with the signatories, despite Norwegian sovereignty not all Norwegian law applies. The treaty only partly demilitarizes Svalbard. All signatories were given equal rights to engage in commercial activities (mainly coal mining) on the islands. Currently (2007) Norway and Russia are utilising this right. The original signatories include Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom (including overseas dominions) and the United States. The Soviet Union signed in 1924 and Germany in 1925. There are now over 40 signatories.
   Of the original signatories Japan was the last to ratify the treaty on 2 August 1925. Subsequently, on 14 August 1925, the treaty came into power.
   Norway then took over sovereign governorship and immediately enacted a series of environmental protection measures.
   There has been a long-running dispute, primarily between Norway and the Soviet Union (and now Russia) over fishing rights in the region. In 1977, Norway established a regulated fishery in a zone around Svalbard (though it didn't close the zone to foreign access). It argues that the treaty's provisions of equal economic access only apply to the islands and their territorial waters, but not to the wider Exclusive Economic Zone; in addition, it argues that the continental shelf is a part of mainland Norway's continental shelf, and should be governed by the 1958 Continental Shelf Convention. The Soviet Union and now Russia dispute this position and consider the Svalbard Treaty to apply to the entire zone; talks were held in 1978 in Moscow, but didn't resolve the issue. Finland supports Norway's position on the matter, while most of the rest of the treaty's signatories have expressed no official position.

Signatories

According to this

outdated list (sorted alphabetically):

Afghanistan 23-11-1925
Albania 29-04-1930
Argentina 06-05-1927
Australia 29-12-1923
Austria 12-03-1930
Belgium 27-05-1925
Bulgaria 20-10-1925
Canada 29-12-1923
Chile 17-12-1928
China 01-07-1925
Denmark 24-01-1924
Dominican Republic 03-02-1927
Egypt 13-09-1925
Estonia 07-04-1930
Finland 12-08-1925
France 06-09-1924
Germany 16-11-1925
Greece 21-10-1925
Hungary 29-10-1927
Iceland 31-05-1994
India 29-12-1923
Italy 06-08-1924
Japan 02-04-1925
Monaco 22-06-1925
Netherlands 03-09-1920
New Zealand 29-12-1923
Norway 08-10-1924
Poland 02-09-1931
Portugal 24-10-1927
Romania 10-07-1925
Russia 07-05-1935
Saudi Arabia 14-08-1925
South Africa 29-12-1923
Spain 12-11-1925
Sweden 15-09-1924
Switzerland 30-06-1925
USA 02-04-1924
United Kingdom 29-12-1923
Venezuela 08-02-1928

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