NATO will increase its presence in the Arctic in response to Russian expansion

The United States plans to appoint a special ambassador for the Arctic due to the "critical strategic importance" of the region

MADRID, 28 Ago. (EUROPA PRESS) -

Both NATO and the United States government have indicated this week that they will increase their presence in the Arctic, as a consequence of the increase in Russian military activity in the north of their territories.

NATO Secretary Jens Stoltenberg has stated in an interview for the German newspaper 'Welt am Sonntag' that the Atlantic Alliance "must increase its presence in the Arctic, because Russia is expanding its influence in that area.

"We are already investing in marine explorers to get a clear picture of what is happening in the far north, but we will continue to intensify our efforts," said Stoltenberg.

The also former Norwegian prime minister has highlighted concerns that both Russia and China are showing interest in the resource-rich region.

"Moscow is in the process of reopening bases from the Soviet era and deploying and testing new, state-of-the-art weapons there, such as hypersonic missiles," explained the NATO chief, after having traveled to the Canadian part of the Arctic with the Prime Minister. of Canada, Justin Trudeau.

Thus, he pointed out that China is increasingly interested in the region because of the "great strategic importance", especially as the ice melts, because new trade routes are opened, in order to build a "polar silk route ".

"It is the crucial connection between North America and Europe. The Arctic is also the shortest distance between North America and Russia," he explained.

On Friday, after Stoltenberg's visit to Canada's Arctic territories, NATO's secretary general warned that the increased Russian presence in the region constitutes "a strategic challenge for the entire Alliance."

"Russia has established a new Arctic Command. It has opened up hundreds of new and old Soviet-era Arctic military sites, including airfields and deep-water ports. Russia is also using the region as a test bed for many of its new weapons," Stoltenberg said.

For his part, Trudeau explained that the change in his country's attitude regarding NATO's participation in the Arctic is due to the drift of the geopolitical situation in recent months. Understanding that Russia is a growing concern for all of us makes it timely that we share with the Secretary General and with NATO all that Canada is doing through NORAD," he said.

The US State Department announced Friday that it would appoint a special ambassador to the Arctic region, if the Senate approves the measure, for the first time.

The objective of this figure would be "to promote American interests and cooperation with allies and partners in the Arctic," according to the deputy spokesman for the Office of Global Public Affairs, Vedant Patel.

"It will engage with its counterparts in Arctic and non-Arctic nations, as well as with indigenous groups, and work closely with national stakeholders, including state, local and tribal governments; businesses, academic institutions, non-profit organizations for-profits, other federal government agencies and Congress," Patel said.

The United States has insisted that the region must be "peaceful, stable, prosperous and cooperative", after considering that it has a "critical strategic importance for the North American country".