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Situation in Arctic remains tense, says Russian diplomat

NATO Military Committee Chair Admiral Rob Bauer told reporters earlier in the week that growing Russia-China relations increased the risk of conflict with NATO in the Arctic

MOSCOW, November 2. /TASS/. The current situation in the Arctic can be described as tense and complicated, a senior diplomat with the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.

Speaking on the sidelines of the international forum Public-Private Partnership in the Sphere of Sustainable Development of Indigenous Peoples, Nikolay Korchunov, who is the Russian Foreign Ministry Ambassador-At-Large and Chair of the Senior Arctic Officials of the Arctic Council, said in response to a question about the developing situation in the Arctic that it can be described as "tense and complicated."

NATO Military Committee Chair Admiral Rob Bauer told reporters earlier in the week that growing Russia-China relations increased the risk of conflict with NATO in the Arctic. He added that NATO must be prepared for conflict in the region given Russia’s ability to operate there.

Korchunov responded earlier in the day to Bauer’s statement that it was "clearly an attempt to justify the need for NATO’s presence in the Arctic.".