Foreign Ministry Ambassador allowed Russia to withdraw from the Arctic Council
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In case of violation of the rights of Russia as a member of the Arctic Council and the destructive behavior of the West, the country may withdraw from the organization, Nikolai Korchunov, Ambassador-at-Large of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, told TASS.
In May, Russia transferred the chairmanship of the Arctic Council to Norway. According to Korchunov, the issue of inviting representatives of the Russian Federation to the events that will be organized during the Norwegian presidency was not discussed.
“At the same time, I would like to note that the non-invitation of Russian representatives to the events of the Arctic Council will mean a violation of its rights as a member state, and in this case, the continuation of our country’s participation in the activities of this organization will hardly be possible,” said ambassador.
He added that “in the context of the weakening role and decreasing effectiveness” of the Arctic Council, which were provoked by Western partners, Russia is in dialogue with other countries and organizations.
On March 3, 2022, all the countries of the Arctic Council, except Russia, issued a written statement refusing to take part in the meetings held under the chairmanship of Russia and on its territory, due to the situation around Ukraine. Already in June, they decided to resume the work of the Arctic Council without Russian participation. Russian diplomats called the activities of the Arctic Council without Russia illegitimate.
The Arctic region is becoming an international theater of operations, the accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO is unlikely to maintain peace and stability in high latitudes, said formerly Korchunov.
The chairmanship of the Arctic Council passed to Russia on May 20, 2021 at the Ministerial session in Reykjavik. Moscow transferred to Norway the chairmanship of the Arctic Council during the 13th session of this international organization, which took place on May 11 in Salekhard.
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