Norway eyes Arctic military cooperation with Russia
Russia’s plans to step up military activities in the Arctic could help foster increased cooperation in the region, Norwegian Deputy Defence Minister Espen Barth Eide told Jane’s.
As BarentsObserver has reported, Russia in its newly published “Principles for Russian politics in the Arctic in the period to 2020” aims at an increased military presence in the Arctic.
Norway, meanwhile, is not concerned about the stronger Russian military focus on the Arctic. Deputy Minister Espen Barth Eide, says to Jane’s that the increasing Russian military investments are logical given the other Arctic countries’ investments in the region and the potential for oil and gas reserves and transport routes.
-I don’t think an increased military presence needs to increase tensions if the interested parties are informed. Indeed, it can have the opposite effect,” he said. “During the Cold War, for example, good intelligence was important to promote peace, as it could tell you what another country was not doing as well as what it was doing, he told Jane’s.
As BarentsObserver reported last week, the Russians also underline that the enhanced military focus on the area will not result in a militarization of the region.
