Zakharova says Russia partially resumes work in the Arctic Council
Russia has partially resumed work in the Arctic Council. This was announced by Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on January 24.
"At this stage, interaction along the lines of the Arctic Council has been partially resumed," she told RIA Novosti.
Zakharova said that on the initiative of the Norwegian side in the second half of 2024, meetings of all six groups of the council, which specialize in sustainable development, climate, environmental protection, prevention and response to emergencies, were held in the format of video link.
"And now are ready for a dialog on the Arctic agenda, including within the framework of the Arctic Council, provided that it will be carried out on an equal and mutually beneficial basis", - emphasized the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
At the same time, she announced that the resumption of meetings of the "Arctic Five", which includes Russia, Denmark, Canada, Norway and the United States, is not discussed.
"Such a trusting dialog will be possible only if Western countries refuse to take anti-Russian actions, confirm their readiness to take into account our interests and search for joint solutions to the problems of the Arctic," Zakharova explained.
Earlier, on January 13, Vladislav Maslennikov, director of the Russian Foreign Ministry's Department of European Affairs, told Izvestia that Russia is ready to work in the Arctic Council format based on its national interests. At the same time, he noted that in the Arctic, Western countries' desire for confrontation with Russia rather than cooperation is becoming more and more evident.
On December 18 last year, Nikolai Patrushev, aide to the Russian president and chairman of the Maritime Board, said that tensions in the Arctic region are growing as a result of NATO's actions. Prior to that, on September 17, General James Hecker, commander of the U.S. Air Force (Air Force) in Europe and Africa, said that the North Atlantic Alliance was studying the idea of creating a joint air operations control center in the Arctic.
On August 16, Patrushev stressed in an interview with Izvestia that Russia adheres to the policy of peaceful development of the Arctic region. In addition, the Russian Federation is actively working on the socio-economic development of the Arctic territories, he added.
The Arctic Council was established in 1996. It includes Denmark (including Greenland and the Faroe Islands), Canada, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden, and the United States. The chairman of the organization changes every two years. In March 2022, the Western member states of the council suspended participation in any activities of the association due to the events in Ukraine.
