Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday cautioned Western nations against encroachment in the Arctic amid rising global interest and competition in the region. The diplomat’s comments came ahead of a meeting of the Arctic Council, which includes Russia, the United States (US), Canada, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The summit is scheduled to take place over Wednesday and Thursday in Reykjavik.
The ministerial in Iceland will be the first face-to-face interaction between Lavrov and his American counterpart Antony Blinken, and the Russian minister was quizzed at a press conference in Moscow about the talks potentially facilitating more stable US-Russia ties. In response, the minister decried the “constant and predictable” sanctions imposed by Washington and said he hoped that “normalised relations will be based on specific actions rather than words (of which we have heard too many).” He also stressed that it would be up to Russia to determine “which issues we want to cooperate on, as well as the forms of cooperation,” along with establishing the lines it “will not cross during discussions on the international agenda.”
Talking specifically about the US’ concerns about Russian military presence in the Arctic zone, Lavrov said that it had been “absolutely clear for everyone for a long time that this is our territory, this is our land,” adding that Russia was “in charge of keeping the Arctic coast safe.” He further noted that all of Moscow’s actions in the region were “absolutely legal.”
With global warming making the Arctic more accessible, Russia has made the region a strategic priority, beefing up military infrastructure in the area much to the dismay of its fellow Arctic Council members. The US, for its part, has routinely condemned Russia’s aggressive tactics, however, Moscow has dismissed all criticisms arguing that Washington was in no position to denounce Russia, given its own presence in the Arctic zone. The US and NATO both have military troops and equipment in the region, with American B-1 Lancer bombers stationed in the Ørland airbase in Norway having recently completed missions in the eastern Barents Sea. In a rare move in August last year, the US Navy also acknowledged the presence of the USS Seawolf submarine near Tromsø, Norway.
Lavrov noted these double standards on Monday and said that he would “openly discuss” the issue at the upcoming Reykjavik gathering. However, he said that if the goal was “more predictability and less military risk,” Arctic Council members should return to Moscow’s “long-standing proposal to resume the mechanism of regular meetings between the members’ armed forces’ general chiefs of staff.” The diplomat stressed that it was Western nations that abandoned the initiative seven years ago, and so they “should not take offense at the lack of dialogue.”
Russia Warns Western Nations Against Intrusions in the Artic Ahead of Talks in Iceland
The comments came ahead of a meeting of the Arctic Council, which is is scheduled to take place over Wednesday and Thursday in Reykjavik.
May 18, 2021
SOURCE: REUTERS