Representation of the Faroe Islands in MoscowBjorn Kunoy, head of the Faroe Islands representative office in Russia.

TheFaroe Islands, an18-island archipelago that has emerged as awinner inthe tit-for-tat sanctions between Russia andthe West, opened onTuesday arepresentative office inMoscow amid growing tensions over thelingering crisis inUkraine.

Though they are within theKingdom ofDenmark, thefishing-dependent Faroe Islands located between Norway andIceland are not within theEuropean Union.

TheFaroe Islands, home tosome 48,000 people, have complete autonomy inall trade matters, andare not constrained byDenmark's membership inthe EU.

They are thus exempt froma food-import embargo Moscow imposed inAugust as aretaliatory move after anumber ofWestern nations, including all ofthe EU member states, sanctioned Russia forits annexation ofCrimea andits perceived role inthe Ukraine crisis.

Bjorn Kunoy, alegal adviser inthe Faroe Islands' Foreign Affairs Department appointed as thehead ofthe archipelago's representative office inRussia, told TheMoscow Times onTuesday that thedecision toopen anoffice inMoscow predated thecurrent political strife between Russia andthe West.

"Other than thelong-standing cooperation infisheries between theFaroe Islands, there has been arelatively high increase oftrade flows between thetwo countries," Kunoy said. "On thebasis ofthese elements, apolitical decision was made toopen arepresentation inRussia tostrengthen therelations between our countries."

Fish products represent 95 percent ofthe Faroe Islands' merchandise exports andaccount for20 percent ofits gross domestic product, according togovernment figures.

Russia's first bilateral fisheries agreement with theFaroe Islands was signed in1977, Kunoy said. Thegovernments ofRussia andthe Faroe Islands have more recently strived toincrease cooperation, signing aMost-Favored Nation treaty in2006, thereby guaranteeing each other mutual trade advantages.

Since Russia imposed its ban onfish products frommany Western states, Kunoy said he has noticed anincrease inhis country's export offisheries toRussia, including mackerel, herring andmost importantly, salmon.

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Amid Booming Fish Trade, Faroe Islands Launch Representative Office in Moscow