NATO Actions May Lead to Escalation in Arctic: Russia
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)’s actions may lead to an escalation in the Arctic Region, a Russian diplomat said.
"We see no signs of improvement with regard to military security in the Arctic. NATO expansion continues in the region, the scope of the alliance’s military exercises there is on the rise, and its non-Arctic member states actively participate in them. Their military potential in high latitudes continues to grow," Russian Foreign Ministry ambassador-at-large Nikolay Korchunov told TASS in an interview.
"At the same time, Western countries are enhancing their course towards adversarial relations, confrontation and promotion of their own interests in the Arctic, to the detriment of other countries’ interests," the Russian diplomat continued.
"Under those circumstances, we cannot rule out the possibility of escalation in this region."
At the same time, Korchunov stressed that "a number of strategic documents of some Arctic countries portray the Russian Federation as an adversary and a threat to their security."
