MOSCOW (Sputnik) – NATO involvement in the Arctic will lead to the most serious consequences for global security, Russia's envoy to NATO, Alexander Grushko, said Friday.
"I'm coming from the understanding that the Arctic region will not be militarized and it would prevail that NATO won't be involved in any type of games around the Arctic issues. Here one needs to understand that the involvement of NATO in Arctic activities will lead to the most serious consequences for global security," Grushko said during a video linkup with Moscow.
The Arctic is believed to have vast untapped reserves of oil and gas. Five of the Arctic Circle countries — the United States, Russia, Canada, Norway, and Denmark — are particularly interested in exploring the reserves.
In 2014, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that NATO doctrines and analysis sometimes mention that the military factor in the Arctic will grow as the struggle for resources intensifies.
Lavrov stressed, however, that the Arctic is a territory of dialogue and there will be no need in military intervention.
