Russia has sufficient grounds to become the leading player in the Arctic and to protect its interests in the region in cooperation with the United States, Canada and other Arctic countries, says a new report, which has been distributed on the sidelines of the 11th annual meeting of the Valdai International Discussion Club that is underway in Sochi.
“The authors of this report tried to find a constructive answer to one of the main questions in Russia’s foreign policy: How to turn the Arctic into a region of international cooperation and at the same time to ensure Russia’s sovereign right to the land and water bodies that were discovered and studied by Russians,” said Timofei Bordachev, Director, Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies, World Economics and International Affairs Faculty of the State University Higher School of Economics (HSE).
According to the report, global interest in the Arctic and its resources has been growing due to the region’s relative stability and openness to economic activity compared to other parts of the world. As international rivalry over Arctic resources keeps growing, it is important to ensure the unity of the Arctic countries based on the principles of peace, predictability and stability, environmental protection and cooperative response to global challenges.
In this context, Russia should boost bilateral and multilateral cooperation and a peaceful settlement of Arctic disputes.
Furthermore, Russia is the most important Arctic country because of its geographic position and also for economic reasons. The Arctic accounts for 10% to 15% of Russia’s GDP and 25% of its exports. By encouraging large-scale cooperation in the Arctic, which should involve not only the Arctic countries but also transnational players, multinational companies and the indigenous population of the North, Russia will attract foreign investment and technology and also provide a powerful incentive for institutional modernization within the framework of its Arctic policy.
The authors of the report firmly believe that a new system of international relations could develop in the Arctic if all interested parties opt for diplomatic, economic and cultural tools, rather than military force, and tries to find consensus solutions in this interconnected world.
The report was prepared on the basis of the research within the framework of the Research Grants Program of the Foundation for Development and Support of the Valdai Discussion Club by Lassi Heininen , Professor, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Lapland, Finland; Alexander Sergunin , Professor, Department of International Relations, School of International Relations, St. Petersburg State University; Gleb Yarovoy , Associate professor, Department of International Relations, Petrozavodsk State University.
