THE Financial Times article according to the Russian envoy, he threatened the Arctic Council with the fact that his country would withdraw from cooperation. The group brings together the countries of the Arctic Circle and tries to find solutions to the region’s disputes. Among the topics are climate change, the rights of the indigenous population, and sea navigation. The reason for the pressure is that the current leader is outside Norway six other members (Denmark, United States, Finland, Iceland, Canada, Sweden) has not cooperated with Russia since the state launched an armed attack in Ukraine.
According to Nikolay Korchunov, the former president of the Arctic Council, it will be difficult for Moscow to participate if the organization currently under Norwegian leadership does not continue to invite them to the events organized by the cooperation. The delegates of the Western member states now fear that the events will result in the creation of a new shadow organization in which the Russians will rather work together with China to exploit the North Pole’s resources.
The geopolitical importance of the Arctic region is increasing, thanks, among other things, to the climate change that is seriously affecting the region, as a result of which the ice caps have begun to melt. A warmer climate opens up new opportunities: new trade routes are established, and the extraction of minerals, rare earth metals and hydrocarbons available on the seabed becomes available. The Kremlin has already tried to assert its own interests more and more strongly on its northern coasts, opened new basesand the issues of maritime boundaries he approached the area in his own way. In the dispute over maritime boundaries defined by international law, the Russian side expanded its claims to the seabed, thus generating international disputes.
Until now, China and Russia have traditionally treated the issues of the Arctic regions at a distance, the Russians were afraid of the excessive strengthening of Chinese influence and capital, to the detriment of their own intentions. However, since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the relationship is becoming closer in more and more areas – previously treated coldly. Cooperation emerging in the new field according to the Western point of view, there is a danger that the Beijing-Moscow axis will move away from Western interests in another areaand the specter of another potential conflict is looming.
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