MOSCOW, January 16. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday he hoped that the US manner to create additional tension in various parts of the world won’t manifest itself in the Arctic.
Replying to the corresponding question at his annual news conference, Russia’s top diplomat said he did not know whether the United States planned to increase the conflict potential in the Arctic region but "as a whole, the US wants to create such conflict potential in some other regions," in particular, in the South China Sea.
"I very much hope that this manner [used by Washington] to create everywhere situations that aggravate the relations between countries of the corresponding parts of the world won’t manifest itself in the Arctic because this won’t contribute to joint cooperation within the Arctic Council," Lavrov stressed.
Responding to the request to comment on the possible dispatch of US naval ships to the Arctic, the Russian foreign minister noted that like all other countries, the United States could use sea routes in that region.
"If this relates to the situation when the naval ships of any state want to use the Northern Sea Route, then the rules of using the Northern Sea Route exist for that," Lavrov said, noting that last autumn a French naval ship successfully sailed through the Northern Sea Route and no questions arose in this regard.
"We proceed from the fact that all will observe these rules because this cannot be otherwise: the Russian Federation is responsible for ensuring the effective operation and security of the Northern Sea Route," Russia’s foreign minister said.