How the West is trying to squeeze Russia out of Arctic and Northern Sea Route — Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Western countries are seeking to reduce Russia's participation in the development of the Arctic under the guise of combating climate change and protecting the environment. This was stated by the director of the Department of European Problems of the Russian Foreign Ministry Vladislav Maslennikov at the International Arctic Forum.

The diplomat drew attention to the fact that many Western countries, declaring in words their interest in the peaceful development of the Arctic, "are carrying out provocative actions to promote the so-called principle of free navigation in the north, including near the waters of the Northern Sea Route."

"Under the guise of protecting the environment and combating climate change, we are witnessing ongoing attempts at actually unfair competition," he said.

According to Maslennikov, Western companies at various specialized sites "seek to impose artificial restrictions on Arctic shipping, which may have a negative impact on the implementation of Russian Arctic projects and the development of the Northern Sea Route."

He drew attention to the fact that the new packages of anti-Russian sanctions adopted by the European Union, which are illegitimate from the point of view of international law, are aimed, among other things, at complicating the implementation of Russian projects and slowing down the development of the potential of the Northern Sea Route.

"At the same time, European economic operators suffer the most from such rash actions, which turn out to be cut off from promising interaction with Russian partners and from the unique capabilities of the NSR," the director of the Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized.

"In any geopolitical situation, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs will continue to provide comprehensive assistance to the development of the Northern Sea Route and the protection of Russian Arctic shipping in general," the diplomat stated, quoted by TASS.

VI The International Arctic Forum "The Arctic — the Territory of Dialogue" is being held in the Murmansk Region for the first time. The Forum is a platform for discussing topical issues of socio-economic development of the Arctic territories, developing multi-level, multilateral mechanisms for the effective development of the powerful resource potential of the Arctic region. One of the main topics of the forum is the development of the Northern Sea Route in honor of the 500th anniversary of its development.