“The rules for Norwegian ports are determined by Norwegian authorities,” Oslo says as Moscow summons a diplomat for a scolding.

The Kremlin summoned Norway’s chargé d’affaires in Moscow on Tuesday to protest what it described as “unlawful restrictive measures” imposed by Oslo on Russian fishing vessels operating in Norwegian waters.

According to a statement from the Russian foreign ministry, the protest was lodged in response to restrictions by Norway targeting vessels belonging to the Russian firms Norebo and Murman Seafood, which operate in Norway’s exclusive economic zone under a 1976 bilateral agreement on fisheries cooperation.

On July 7 the Norwegian government announced it would join EU sanctions adopted in May and place both companies on its national sanctions list, citing concerns over espionage and the risk of future sabotage. The move in effect superseded the 1976 deal and removed the firms’ vessels from Norwegian waters, drawing swift condemnation from Moscow that it was “politically motivated.”