Canada, Russia Should Continue Dialogue on Arctic - Canadian Lawmakers

MINSK (Sputnik) — Canada and Russia should continue dialogue on Arctic issues as the region is important for both countries, Hedy Fry, the head of Canadian delegation to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA), told Sputnik.

"Arctic is a very important place for us. Canada owns a large territory of the Arctic and the same is true for Russia. We are two largest nations in the Arctic region. We need the discussions moving on the Arctic issues, especially on the environmental issues. So, we need to talk about this," Fry said on the sidelines of the OSCE PA Annual Meeting, which took place this week in Minsk.

Russia is one of eight Arctic countries that are members of the Arctic Council. The country has been stepping up its military, trade and exploration activities in the Arctic region. It has been building transport and energy production infrastructure, as well as installing military facilities and developing the Northern Sea Route linking Europe to Asia.

In May, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Moscow sees no potential for a conflict in the Arctic region.