At a meeting of the Security Council on climate change President Medvedev warned that climate changes can give rise not only to physical changes in the natural environment, but also interstate contradictions related to the search for and exploration of energy resources, the use of sea transport routes and bio resources and shortage of water and food, ITAR-TASS reports.
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He stressed that some polar countries already are taking active steps to expand their economic and even military presence in the Arctic zone.
- We already observe attempts to restrict Russia’s access to exploration and development of Arctic fields. This is of cource inadmissible from a legal point of view and unfair taking into account our geographical location and the history of our country, the president said.
President Medvedev’s speech comes only two days after Prime Minister Vladimir Putin defended Russia’s claims to the shipping-vital Arctic continental shelf, as BarentsObserver reported.
Mr. Putin at the same time stressed the need for international cooperation. Russia will host an international conference on the Arctic on April 22-23 in Moscow, Russia Today reports. The conference is called “The Arctic – the territory of dialogue.”
