The Russian Security Council posted on its website last month a document entitled: “Principles for Russian politics in the Arctic in the period to 2020 and in a further perspective”, which outlines the country’s strategy in the region, including the deployment of military, border and coastal guard units. According to the document, Russia will create by 2020 a group of forces to protect its political and economic interests in the Arctic.
At the Arctic Council Session in Tromsø, Northern Norway, April 29 Sergey Lavrov said that the Arctic should be preserved as “a zone of peace and cooperation”:
- We have no plans to enhance our military presence in the Arctic. Neither do we intent to establish military forces there. On the contrary, the character of the problems, primarily tied to climate change, and the still-severe Arctic conditions predetermine the necessity to act together and build up coordinated joint efforts. We are convinced that the chief trend in the Arctic is the development of broad regional cooperation, Lavrov said in his opening remarks to the session.
Lavrov stated that Russia will be a reliable, transparent and predictable partner in the Arctic and called for further revitalization of the Arctic Council’s activities. Russia is ready to make a substantial financial contribution – 2 million EUR per year in support of projects initiated by the Arctic Council.
