“The internationalization of the Alliance’s military activities in the Arctic latitudes, involving non-Arctic NATO states, is also a cause for concern,” the senior diplomat said.
According to the official, of these activities arise “risks of unintentional incidents which, in addition to security risks, can cause serious damage to the fragile Arctic ecosystem”.
Korchunov reiterated in this regard that Western countries cannot guarantee the sustainable development of the Arctic without Russia.
For the ambassador, the possible entry of Sweden and Finland into NATO will not positively influence security and confidence in that area.
In March, Finland and Sweden, which are considering joining the US-led NATO military alliance, held combined Atlantic Alliance military exercises.
Military exercises were planned for a long time, but the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24 added intensity to them.
“NATO’s expansion at the expense of traditionally non-aligned countries will not contribute to security and mutual trust in the Arctic, which Russia has consistently upheld,” he said.
Korchunov recalled that this is the largest military exercise led by Norway since the 1980s and was attended by 30,000 troops from 27 countries, including Finland and Sweden, NATO partners.
“The long-standing commitment of Stockholm and Helsinki to the policy of non-alignment with military alliances has been an important factor in stability and security in the northern European region, in the European continent as a whole,” he said.
The Russian official therefore assured that “soft security risks and challenges in the Arctic, which the Council has generally dealt with effectively to date, will increase.”
Source: Ambito
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