MOSCOW, May 14. /TASS/. Russia may quit the Arctic Council if the West acts in a destructive manner and violates its rights of a member in the organization, Russian Foreign Ministry ambassador-at-large Nikolay Korchunov has told TASS in an interview.
"The problem of inviting the Russian side to events to be organized during Norway’s presidency was not discussed. At the same time, I would like to note that non-invitation of Russian delegates to Arctic Council events will mean that its rights of a member country are being violated and, in this case, our country’s further participation in this organization’s activities will hardly be possible," he said.
Russia presided in the organization in 2021-2023 and earlier handed over the rotating presidency to Norway.
"Now the future of the Arctic Council fully depends on the Norwegian presidency and on whether other member states support collective approaches, which have always been a basis for the Council’s work," he said.
The diplomat went on to say that Moscow’s policy in the Arctic Council will depend on further developments, taking into account the need to respect Russia’s interests.
"Amid the weakening role and reducing efficiency of the Arctic Council, provoked by our Western partners, we are already actively negotiating the Arctic agenda in various formats with other countries and organizations," he said. "Considering that Russia is the largest Arctic country and that the Arctic Council’s mandate has a limited number of cooperation areas, we will <…> develop bilateral and multilateral cooperation in the Arctic with partners that demonstrate a constructive approach.".