BRUSSELS (Sputnik) — The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is in favor of cooperation, not confrontation in the Arctic, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Monday.
"The Arctic is a harsh environment, it rewards cooperation, not confrontation. Any disputes should be settled based on intl (international) law," Stoltenberg wrote on Twitter, commenting on Russia's plans to build and reconstruct airfields in the polar region.
.@GorseFires The Arctic is a harsh environment, it rewards cooperation, not confrontation.Any disputes should be settled based on intl law.
— Jens Stoltenberg (@jensstoltenberg) July 11, 2016
Last week, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov announced that general construction works on defense facilities in the Arctic were expected to be completed by the end of 2016.
According to Ivanov, Russia completed construction of four military bases in the Arctic in 2015. Before bringing facilities to operation, some 40 houses will be built to accommodate military officers and soldiers.
