ST. PETERSBURG, June 15. /TASS/. Russia remains the only Arctic nation that is not a NATO member, and Moscow finds the expansion and intensification of NATO activities concerning, says Russian Ambassador-at-large and Chairman of the Arctic Council’s Senior Arctic Officials Committee Nikolay Korchunov.

Speaking on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) Thursday, he noted that Russia is facing a situation where the seven other Arctic Council states will be NATO members.

"Of course, we cannot but be concerned about such prospects, because seven states will have to adhere to Brussels’s decisions and agenda," Korchunov told TASS. "Recently, we have been observing NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stepping far beyond the military-political agenda; he resorts to commenting on the content and prospects of non-military, purely civilian cooperation between Russia and other non-Arctic states, with China, for example. Of course, this cannot leave us unconcerned, just like the expansion and the intensification of the alliance’s activities in high latitudes," the diplomat underscored.

He noted that Moscow advocates non-military international cooperation in the Arctic region and refrains from holding military exercises with other countries there. The intensification of NATO activities will not contribute to the interests of sustainable development of the Arctic, Korchunov pointed out.