BRUSSELS, February 11. /TASS/. NATO will deploy dozens of thousands of servicemen to take part in military exercises as part of the alliance’s Arctic Sentry mission, Secretary General Mark Rutte announced.

"We have launched Arctic Sentry, which leverages the strength of the alliance, bringing together NATO and allied activities in the High North into one overarching operational approach to the region," he told reporters at a briefing. "Initially, it would bring together exercises like Denmark’s Arctic Endurance and Norway’s Cold Response - activities involving tens of thousands of personnel and equipment they need to operate successfully in Arctic conditions," the NATO chief pointed out.

According to Rutte, Russia and China are allegedly showing great interest in the region, forcing NATO to act.

The NATO chief did not clarify whether the Arctic Sentry mission involves restructuring the alliance’s current activities or implementing new ones. He noted that the mission’s main goal is to ensure that Russia and China do not gain access to Greenland and its economy.

So far, NATO has not clarified how and why, in its opinion, China and Russia are allegedly trying to gain access to Greenland.