Sergey Lavrov states that the presence of the North Atlantic Alliance in the Arctic is a direct threat to Russia’s security. In the official’s opinion, strengthening NATO’s presence in the region will increase tensions with Moscow.
In February, the North Atlantic Alliance launched the Arctic Sentry mission to strengthen its presence in the far North, writes Agerpres. Russia has a military fleet in the Arctic, including nuclear-armed submarines, and considers the region to be within its sphere of interest, where it is also developing a maritime trade route to Asia.
Lavrov believes that the Arctic Sentry military exercises of the Alliance in the region are aggressive.
“Such military activity in the Far North directly threatens the security of Russia. The risk of incidents that could trigger an armed confrontation with potentially disastrous consequences is increasing,” the official states.
The Kremlin has the largest military presence and the most extensive military infrastructure in the Arctic, a region rich in mineral resources. China has also begun in recent years to intensify its activities there, in partnership with Moscow.