MOSCOW, March 13. /TASS/. Mineral deposits in various parts of the world cannot compare with natural resources of the Arctic that sees growing competition for its riches and the West’s attempts to militarize that region, Russian Presidential Aide, Chairman of the Maritime Board Nikolay Patrushev said in an interview with the National Defense magazine on Thursday.

"The attempts to militarize the Arctic have long become a part of the Western geopolitical agenda. This is primarily linked to the growing world competition for natural resources," Patrushev said, noting that "the significance of the richest polar region will only grow."

"The Arctic possess such reserves of natural resources that the most attractive deposits in other regions of the world pale in comparison," the chairman of Russia’s Maritime Board stressed.

Russia believes that the Arctic must be a territory of peace where many states can jointly implement economic and research projects and "use the transport potential of the northern seas," Patrushev said.