Moscow says disruption of crucial work in Arctic Council poses risk of chaos

The continued halting of vital initiatives in the Artic runs at the possibility of creating turmoil in the future, according to the Russian minister in charge of its development. The Arctic Council's engagement was halted last year when western members opted to boycott Moscow due to the conflict in Ukraine. “Our so-called Western partners produced one-sided unfriendly actions in the Arctic Council. Such moves destabilise the Arctic,” Aleksey Chekunkov, Minister for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic said, as reported by RT.

The Arctic Council is an intergovernmental organisation that handles matters pertaining to the area and its native population. When the crisis in Ukraine broke out in February 2022 as a result of escalating tensions, Russia presided over the council on a rotating basis.

Aleksey Chekunkov considers the situation to be hopeless

The remaining seven partners then made the decision to stop all communication with Moscow, thereby halting about half of the 130 ongoing collaborative initiatives. Russia concentrated on its own Arctic agenda over the coming year. The Minister for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic, Chekunkov, considers the situation to be hopeless, RT reported.

“We can do something in the Arctic only based on common efforts,” he said. “If half of the Arctic lives according to the rules of the Russian Federation, and another half lives according to different regulations, then such a situation will bring chaos,” as reported by RT.

Next month, Oslo is expected to take over as council chairman from Moscow. The Norwegian government unveiled its plan for leading the organisation last week. The plan is centred on sustainable development and climate change. Norway intends to conduct the transition ceremony remotely after declining a Russian request to do so. Additionally, it aims to reduce the degree of representation at the gathering.

The Arctic Council is made up of the US, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Sweden, Norway and Russia.