ARKHANGELSK, September 13 (Itar-Tass) —— The situation in the Arctic is “positive, stable, predictable”, Russian Ambassador at Large Anton Vasilyev said.
Arctic states understand that all questions concerning the development and exploration of this region can and should be solved in a peaceful, civilised manner, he said at the conference “The History of Arctic Exploration” in Arkhangelsk on Wednesday, September 12.
“There are no situations that would require military solution. Ninety-seven percent of all known and potential reserves of natural resources in the Arctic lie in the zone of sovereign rights of the Arctic states. In other words, there is nothing to divide in the Arctic. There is no reason for conflict, if the common rules of the game are not changed, that is,” the diplomat said.
As a successful example of long-term and fruitful international cooperation among the Arctic states, he named the Russian-Norwegian agreement on the delimitation of waters and cooperation in the Barents Sea and the Arctic Ocean.
The Russian Foreign Ministry believes that the time has come for practical development of the Arctic.
The year 2011 was marked by the revival of sea navigation in the Arctic with 41 vessels sailing along the Arctic route. Russia has made important decisions to build new icebreakers, modernise seaports and build new ones.
The conference will run at the Northern (Arctic) Federal University for two days. Its purpose is to evaluate historical processes related to the exploration of the Arctic as well as set out priorities for further research and exploration.
The conference has brought together more than 350 participants from Russia and six other Arctic states.