Karelin, V. Russian envoys in Kristiania, 1905-1917. Three incomplete portraits // Caution & compliance : Norwegian-Russian diplomatic relations, 1814-2014 / Kari Aga Myklebost & Stian Bones (eds.). - Stamsund : Orkana akademisk, 2012. – Vol. 1. - S. 61-70.

retary to Russia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Aleksander P. Izvolskii, from 1906 to 1908. After that, Gulkevich was assigned to another post of great importance, as councillor at the Russian Embassy in Istanbul on the eve of the First World War. After Turkey joined a coalition with Germany, Gulkevich and the rest of the embassy staff returned to Petro­ grad. Gulkevich was promoted to the post of head of the Middle East department, a key department in the Ministry. Another highlight of Gulkevich’s career was his participation in the negotiations on the Triple Entente’s agreement with Italy, the Treaty of London (1915), as a result of which Italy joined the Entente in 1915. Gulkevich also participated in negotiations for the Anglo- French-Russian Constantinople Agreement of 1915 regarding the Black Sea Straits. In Rus­ sia the agreement was considered to be the country’s most important diplomatic victory during the war. On the other hand, Russian diplomacy lost the battle over Bulgaria. Tsar Ferdinand I broke off diplomatic relations with Russia in October 1915 and joined the alli­ ance of the Entente’s enemies: Germany, Austria-Hungary and Turkey. For Russia, this was a painful blow. Overall, however, when Gulkevich moved to Norway in 1916 to take up his post as Russia’s envoy to Norway, he was an experienced, professional and quite out-of-the-ordinary diplomat. Moreover, he enjoyed the confidence of Minister of Foreign Affairs Sazonov and his deputies, such as Anatolii Neratov and Boris Nolde. T he three envoys ’ contr ibut ion to R ussian policy in N orway All three imperial envoys in Norway made strong efforts to follow the goals set down by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. For the period in question here, Russian policy in Norway can be divided into two parts, with different priorities. Before 1914, Russian envoys followed a programme that had been adopted in 1905 and worked out for peace­ time. Under Krupenskii, and later Arsenev, Russian diplomacy in Norway achieved impres­ sive successes. Relations between Russian and Norway were from the very beginning based on confidence, due not least to the Russian recognition of Norway’s integrity after 1905. Russian envoys repeatedly stressed that Russia regarded the neutral status of Norwegian foreign policy with respect. This was confirmed by the signing of the Norwegian Integ­ rity Treaty by the great powers in 1907 and the dismissal of the November Treaty of 1855 (cf. chapter by Myklebost). This brought Russia and Great Britain closer, and at the same time the relations between Russia and Norway became more friendly and trusting. As a result Russia, Norway and Sweden successfully developed diplomatic co-operation, for example when preparing international conferences about Spitsbergen in 1910, 1912 and 1914. Together they opposed the attempts of USA and Germany to adopt a leading posi­ tion on the archipelago. Before the outbreak of the First World War, Norwegian export companies had far-reaching plans for developing the Russian market, and had already made their first serious indus- - 6 6 -