Russia’s Ambassador to Washington, Anatoly Antonov, announced that he was concerned about Russia’s plans to continue its work without the involvement of the Arctic Council and warned that the decisions to be made would not be legitimate.
“Of course, such a step is of concern not only to Russia, which is the chairman of the council, but also to the international community, which is interested in the continued stable development of this region. International cooperation is still subject to politicization, Antonov said.
He pointed out that decisions to be made within the framework of the Arctic Council without Russia’s involvement would not be legitimate and would be contrary to the principle of consensus on its legal documents.
Earlier, the ambassador of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Chairman of the Committee of Senior Officials of the Arctic Council, Nikolai Korshunov, warned that the pause in the work of the Arctic Council will lead to the emergence of weak risks. Security will increase in the Arctic region. According to him, “the earliest continuation of the large -scale work of the Arctic Council is, of course, in the interest not only of the Arctic states, but also of the international community as a whole.”
The Arctic Council was established in 1996 at the Canadian initiative for cooperation in the field of environmental protection and sustainable development of the polar regions. It consists of 8 subarctic countries: Russia, United States, Denmark, Iceland, Canada, Norway, Finland and Sweden.
Source: RIA Novosti
Source: Arabic RT
