Heiko Recktenwald
August 19 marked a major milestone for Arctic shipping. For the first time, a container ship from China arrived at the port of Murmansk via the Northern Sea Route, a key section of the Trans-Arctic Transport Corridor
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Sergey Lavrov. International cooperation in the Arctic: Challenges and opportunities
August 19 marked a major milestone for Arctic shipping. For the first time, a container ship from China arrived at the port of Murmansk via the Northern Sea Route, a key section of the Trans-Arctic Transport Corridor. Together with our international partners, Russia entered a new phase in the development of its Arctic region, which accounts for at least 10 percent of the country’s GDP and is home to more than 2.5 million of our citizens. In this regard, I would like to share my thoughts on how we perceive the current situation in the Arctic and plan to promote international cooperation there.
Russia and international partners in the Arctic
Approved by President Vladimir Putin, the Foundations of the Russian State Policy in the Arctic for the Period up to 2035 direct all government agencies to work on improving the quality of life for people living in the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation, promoting economic growth for its territories, protecting the environment and fostering mutually beneficial international cooperation. The latter is of particular importance to the Foreign Ministry, which is vested with authority to coordinate relations with other countries and intergovernmental organisations. And, I would like to place a special emphasis on the fact that all matters dealing with the development of the Arctic zone, maritime logistics and the Northern Sea Route play an important role in the activities of the Maritime Board of the Russian Federation.
The Foreign Policy Concept of the Russian Federation in its current version dated March 31, 2023, sets out the foreign policy priorities in high latitudes. In the Arctic, Russia is committed to preserving peace and stability, mitigating national security threats and creating a favourable external environment for promoting its socioeconomic development. We are open to working with all constructively-minded countries are also ready to put these ideas into practice. In fact, there are quite a few countries of this kind. The Far North has a wealth of potential in terms of its resources, transport and logistics opportunities, its unique nature and climate, long-standing traditions of regional cooperation, and the rich cultural heritage of its indigenous peoples – all this offers broad opportunities for forging mutually beneficial partnerships.
China and India must be placed on top of the list of countries with which Russia has been working closely in the Arctic. Moscow has been holding substantive discussions on Arctic-related matters with Beijing on Arctic-related matters as part of regular meetings at the level of heads of government. There is a dedicated bilateral sub-commission on the Northern Sea Route which is up and running, as are mechanisms for foreign-ministry-level consultations and scientific exchanges. The results speak for themselves: they include the launch of regular container shipments across Russia’s northern seas, with plans to have more of them, as well as other achievements, including in polar research.
There has been positive momentum in Moscow’s dialogue with New Delhi on the high latitudes. In late August, this topic was on the agenda of the Russia-India Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technical, and Cultural Cooperation. Indian corporations are involved in developing the resource potential of Russia’s Arctic region. According to some experts, the Arctic could become a major item on the Russia-India cooperation agenda over the next 20 years.
There is potential for working with Brazil, Indonesia, Iran and other BRICS countries in the Far North. We are also ready to promote cooperation with Belarus and other allies and partners in the CIS. South Korea and Singapore should also be mentioned since they have been displaying interest in working with Russia on specific Arctic projects, despite taking part in the unfriendly sanction campaign launched by the collective West against our country.
The fact that foreign guests have been proactively taking part in symposiums and conferences dealing with the Arctic demonstrates that there is appetite among non-Arctic states to promote cooperation with Russia in the high latitudes. Numerous foreign delegations will deliberate this agenda during special sessions at the 11th Eastern Economic Forum, which is scheduled to open on September 1 in Vladivostok. Next March, we look forward to welcoming high foreign guests at the next major international forum of the Russian Arctic, The Arctic – Territory of Dialogue, which will take place in Murmansk.
Challenges for international cooperation in the Arctic
Preserving the Arctic as an area of peace and cooperation would serve the interests of the entire international community, and Russia is undoubtedly interested in this as well. At the same time, there are those who do not share this point of view. How else can one explain the fact that NATO countries and the military alliance as a whole are driving the region towards militarisation and creating hotbeds of international tension there?
In February 2026, NATO launched its Arctic Sentry activity, which is designed to expand its military presence in the northern latitudes. Intensive military preparations are underway in close proximity to our northern borders. NATO is conducting large-scale military exercises to practice aggressive scenarios, involving non-regional countries and adding new elements to its command-and-control system.
Such military activity in the Far North constitutes a direct security threat for Russia. It also increases the risk of incidents that could trigger an armed confrontation with potentially disastrous consequences.
This deliberate and targeted effort to foster an atmosphere of mistrust in the military domain is taking place alongside Western attempts to undermine Russia’s legitimate rights in international cooperation by imposing illegitimate financial and economic sanctions on legal entities and individuals from countries of the Global Majority which are involved in joint projects in the Arctic region.
NATO and other Western countries make no secret of their true motives, openly declaring their intention to turn the Arctic into a new front for constraining the development of Russia and its like-minded partners.
One manifestation of the West’s anti-Russian policy has been the effort to make once effective mechanisms of multilateral cooperation in the Far North unworkable. Some have ceased to exist altogether, while others have largely become irrelevant by keeping Russia in the cold, after Moscow was forced to suspend its engagement with them in connection with hostile actions. Established almost 30 years ago on September 19, 1996, the Arctic Council, remains the only functioning intergovernmental framework.
The Council is approaching its anniversary in a shape that is far from ideal. Since March 2022, as a result of actions by its Western member states, its work has been placed on hold, leaving the organisation in a severe crisis. Ministerial meetings and sessions of its key coordinating body, the Senior Arctic Officials committee, have been suspended, while its capacity to undertake projects has been significantly curtailed. The Council’s activities are now largely confined to expert-level contacts and remote meetings of its working bodies.
Russia is ready to resume the full-fledged work of the Arctic Council, provided that all parties engage in good faith and take into account the legitimate interests of all the participants. At the same time, Russia is also ready to deal with a scenario as currently pursued by NATO countries within the Arctic Council in their attempt to discuss Arctic issues among themselves, without Russia, thereby effectively discrediting and marginalising the Arctic Council. Should this scenario materialise, Russia has all the territory, logistics, technology and reliable partners it needs to carry out mutually beneficial projects with the view to achieving steady progress in fulfilling Russia’s Arctic agenda.
The future of international cooperation in the Arctic
A glance at the world map makes it clear that Russia has been, is, and will remain a leading Arctic state. As climate change continues and the polar ice cover recedes, experts predict that the Arctic will become increasingly accessible for transportation and resource development. The region is already beginning to play an increasingly important role in maintaining stable trade links amid more frequent disruptions to global supply chains, particularly in the straits of the world’s oceans that are of systemic importance to the global economy.
The Arctic is also set to become increasingly important from a strategic perspective in terms of asserting our national interests and ensuring security. We will persist in our comprehensive effort to develop the Far North and further expand the infrastructure of Russia’s Arctic zone in accordance with Russian law and our national development goals.
Just as before, we will proceed in our economic activities from the understanding that the Arctic maritime areas form an integral part of the World Ocean. The provisions of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which establish special rights and responsibilities for coastal states in the Arctic, apply there in full. Commitment to these rights and responsibilities was reaffirmed in the Ilulissat Declaration, adopted in 2008 by the five Arctic states – Russia, Denmark, Canada, Norway, and the United States. At this stage, Russia does not believe that there is a need to draft new international legal instruments governing economic and other activities in the Far North.
Russia reaffirms its commitment to carrying out a comprehensive and pragmatic foreign policy in the Arctic. We support the concept of the Arctic emerging as an integral part of the broader Eurasian space of security and cooperation.
Our current opponents should have learnt the many lessons of history by now and understood that attempts to speak to Russia in the language of sanctions and threats are futile. Unfriendly and hostile actions have been and will continue to be met with an appropriate response, including asymmetric measures. Russia favours constructive dialogue in all regions of the world, but, when necessary, we will defend our national interests by all available means.
President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly emphasised that Russia is serious about working in the Arctic, and we are open to cooperation with all partners willing to join these efforts based on the principles of equality and mutual benefit. Partners of this kind constitute an overwhelming majority once you look beyond the circle of Russia-hating NATO countries. Promising areas of cooperation include the development of natural resources and the operations of the Trans-Arctic Transport Corridor, including the Northern Sea Route as its key component. Priorities also include the development of industrial, transport, and tourism infrastructure. Improving the well-being of people living in the Far North, preserving the Arctic environment, and undertaking scientific research will also remain key priorities. In all these areas, we believe that international cooperation must play a prominent role.
The Trans Arctic Transport corridor scope, impact on Eurasian markets, and continuing news
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