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Электронное приложение к журналу «Международная жизнь»
Author : V. Kotlyar
Minister Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Member of the International Law Council at the Ministry
of the Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, UN International Arbitrator on the Law of the Sea,
Doctor of Science (Law)
IN RECENT YEARS, the Arctic has been attracting
heightened attention in the world due to the intensive
study and use of its natural resources by various coun-
tries: the oil and gas resources on the mainland and on
the continental shelf, the region's biological reserves and
the transport capacities of the Russian Northern Sea
Route.
In the past two or three years, the media of a number
of Western countries, especially the United States, and
sometimes even certain media outlets in Russia, have
been increasingly vocal regarding the purportedly inevitable escalation of tension and the "danger
of conflicts" between the Arctic states - what's more, not only political but also military conflicts,
as well as recommendations for U.S. allies to lean more on NATO's "reliable shoulder."
The U.S. media and the rightist press of Nordic countries, especially Sweden, are the most active
participants in the NATO and EU information war against Russia in the Arctic.
The deteriorating atmosphere in international relations in connection with the U.S., NATO and
EU reaction to the political crisis in Ukraine has not yet had a significant impact on cooperation
between the Arctic countries.
Nevertheless, despite the information war waged by leading NATO and EU countries against
Russia, public opinion polls in Arctic countries show that the greater part of their population
favors cooperation with Russia in the Arctic.
At present, the only unresolved issue is related to the claims of a number of Arctic countries to
expand the zone of their continental shelf beyond its external boundaries.
In conclusion, it can only be said that Russia is geared toward the further development of Arctic
cooperation within the framework of the Arctic Council, the Barents Euro-Arctic Council and
Russia-EU cross-border cooperation programs. Russia is firmly committed to this course. "Our
country," President V.V. Putin said at a Russian Security Council meeting in April 2014, "is in-
terested in the stable development of the Arctic region, based on cooperation and full respect
for international law. To this end, we are in constant dialogue with our partners on Arctic issues
and we fully comply with international requirements with regard to enhancing regional security.
Within the framework of the Arctic Council, we address issues related to cooperation in the
border area, sea transit, and interaction in emergency response to accidents in the hydrocarbon
development process on the shelf."
The Arctic: A Region of Peaceful Development or Conflicts?