The High Contracting Parties shall agree to recognise, under the conditions laid down in this Treaty, the full and full sovereignty of Norway on the Spitsbergen archipelago comprising the island of Bears or Bären-Eiland all Islands between the 10 ° and 35 ° east of Greenwich and between 74 ° and 81 ° north latitude, including: Western Spitsbergen, Northeast Land, Barent Island, Edge Island, Wiche Islands, Island of Hope or Hopen-Eiland and Land Prince Charles, together the islands, islets and rocks that depend on it.

Ships and nationals of all High Contracting Parties shall also be admitted to the exercise of fishing and hunting rights in the areas referred to in Article 1 and their territorial waters.

It will be for Norway to maintain, take or enact measures to ensure the conservation and, where appropriate, the recovery of the fauna and flora in the said regions and their territorial waters, on the understanding that these measures Must also be applicable to nationals of all High Contracting Parties without any exemptions, privileges and favours of any kind, direct or indirect, to the benefit of any of them.

Occupants whose rights will be recognized under the terms of s. 6 and 7 shall enjoy the exclusive right of hunting on their land: 1 ° in the vicinity of the houses, houses, shops, factories, installations for the purposes of the operation of the land, under the conditions laid down by the Local police regulations; 2 ° within a radius of 10 kilometres around the principal place of business or operations; and in both cases subject to compliance with the regulations laid down by the Norwegian Government under the conditions Set out in this Article.

Nationals of all High Contracting Parties shall have equal freedom of access and release for any cause and purpose, in the waters, fjords and ports of the regions referred to in Article 1; they shall be able to do so, without No impediment, subject to the observation of local laws and regulations, to all maritime, industrial, mining and commercial operations on an equal footing.

They shall be admitted under the same conditions of equality in the exercise and exploitation of all maritime, industrial, mining or commercial enterprises, both on land and in territorial waters, without any monopoly, in any respect and in respect of Any company, can be established.

Notwithstanding the rules which would be in force in Norway in respect of cabotage, the vessels of the High Contracting Parties from or to the regions referred to in Article 1 shall have the right to relax, both in return and in return, In the Norwegian ports, for embarking or disembarking passengers or goods to or from those regions, or for any other cause.

It is understood that, in all respects, and in particular as regards exports, imports and transit, nationals of all High Contracting Parties, their vessels and their goods, shall not be subject to any charge or Any restriction, which shall not be applied to nationals, ships or goods, enjoying the most-favoured-nation treatment in Norway, Norwegian nationals, their vessels and goods being for that purpose Assimilated to those of the other High Contracting Parties, and having no more treatment In favour of no regard.

The exportation of all goods destined for the territory of any of the Contracting Powers shall not be subject to any charge or restriction which may be different or more onerous than those provided for in the export of Goods of the same species to the territory of another Contracting Power (including Norway) or any other country.

Any public station of wireless telegraphy established or to be established, with the permission or care of the Government of Norway, in the areas referred to in Art. 1 shall always be open on an equal footing to the communications of ships of all flags and nationals of the High Contracting Parties under the conditions laid down in the Radio-Television Convention of 5 July 1912 ¹ Or the International Convention which would be concluded to be substituted for it.

Subject to international obligations resulting from a state of war, the owners of land will still be able to establish and use wireless telegraph facilities for their own affairs, which will have the freedom to communicate For private business with rix or mobile stations, including stations established on ships and aircraft.

The High Contracting Parties recognizing the usefulness of establishing an international meteorological station in the regions referred to in Article 1, the organization of which will be the subject of a subsequent Convention.

It will also be provided by Convention to the conditions under which scientific research may be carried out in the said regions.

Subject to the provisions of this Article, acquired rights belonging to nationals of the High Contracting Parties shall be valid.

Claims arising out of the rights arising from the taking of possession or occupation prior to the signature of this Treaty shall be settled in accordance with the provisions of the attached Annex, which shall have the same force and value as this Treaty.

In the regions referred to in Article 1, Norway undertakes to grant to all nationals of the High Contracting Parties, in respect of modes of acquisition, enjoyment and exercise of the right of ownership, including rights Mining, a treatment based on perfect equality and in accordance with the provisions of this Treaty.

Expropriation shall be carried out only on grounds of public utility and against the payment of a fair compensation.

Norway undertakes to provide for the regions referred to in Article 1 of a mining regime which, in particular from the point of view of taxes or charges of all kinds, general and special conditions of work, shall exclude all privileges, Monopolies or favours, both for the benefit of the State and for the benefit of nationals of one of the High Contracting Parties, including Norway, and ensure that employees of any category have the necessary guarantees of wages and protection to their employees Physical, moral and intellectual well-being.

The taxes and duties which will be collected shall be exclusively devoted to those regions and may be established only to the extent that they are justified by their object.

With regard specifically to the export of minerals, the Government of Norway will have the option of establishing an export tax; however, this fee may not be greater than 1 per cent. Over 100 % of the maximum value of the ores exported up to 100 000 tonnes, and above that quantity, the tax will follow a decreasing proportion. The value will be determined at the end of the navigable season by calculating the average Franco-board price.

Three months before the date set for its implementation, the proposed mining regime will have to be communicated by the Government of Norway to the other Contracting Powers. If, within that period, one or more of the said Powers proposed amendments to that regulation before it was applied, those proposals would be communicated by the Government of Norway to the other Powers To be submitted to the examination and to the decision of a Commission composed of a representative of each of those Powers. The Commission will be convened by the Government of Norway and will have to act within three months from the date of its meeting. Its decisions will be taken by a majority of votes.

Subject to the rights and duties that may result for Norway of its membership in the League of Nations, Norway undertakes not to establish and to allow any naval base to be established in the areas referred to in Art. 1, not to build any fortifications in these areas, which should never be used for a purpose of war.

Until recognition by the High Contracting Parties of a Russian Government permits Russia to accede to this Treaty, Russian nationals and companies shall enjoy the same rights as nationals of the High Parties Contractants.

The claims that they would have to make in the areas referred to in section 1 will be filed under the conditions set out in s. 6 and the Annex to this Treaty, by the care of the Government of Denmark, which agrees to lend, for this purpose, its good offices.

This Treaty, of which the English and French texts shall prevail, shall be ratified.

The deposit of ratifications will be made in Paris, as soon as possible.

The Powers of which the Government has its seat outside Europe will have the right to confine itself to making known to the Government of the French Republic, by their diplomatic representative in Paris, that their ratification has been given and, in this case, They will have to transmit the instrument as soon as possible.

This Treaty shall enter into force, with respect to the provisions of Article 8, as soon as it has been ratified by each of the signatory Powers, and, in all other respects, at the same time as the mining regime provided for in that Article.

Third Powers will be invited by the Government of the French Republic to accede to this duly ratified Treaty. Such accession shall be effected by notification addressed to the Government of France, to which it will be responsible to notify the other Contracting Parties.

In witness whereof, The aforementioned Plenipotentiaries have signed this Treaty.

Done at Paris, on February 9, 1920 in two copies, one of which will be given to the Government of His Majesty the King of Norway and one will remain deposited in the archives of the Government of the French Republic and whose authentic expeditions will be Discounts to other Signatory Powers.

(Suivent signatures)