Moscow Says Accession of Finland, Sweden to NATO May Increase Tensions in Arctic Region

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO may lead to increased militarization of the Arctic, aggravation of tensions and security risks in the region, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday.

Sweden and Finland applied for NATO membership in May. As of now, only Turkey and Hungary have not ratified the accession of the two nations.

"In accordance with the 1996 Ottawa Declaration, the Arctic Council does not deal with matters related to military security. In this regard, I do not consider it necessary to link the council’s prospects with the accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO. At the same time, one cannot ignore the fact that after the accession of these countries to the alliance, all member states of the Arctic Council, except Russia, will be members of the North Atlantic bloc," Zakharova told a briefing.

The spokeswoman emphasized that the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO may lead to "increased militarization of the Arctic region," and the consequent "significant increase of tensions and security risks at high latitudes."

The Arctic region covers the territories of the eight Arctic states, namely Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Russia and the United States. In 1996, those countries established the Arctic Council to address issues related to the region. In recent years, the discourse on the strategic application of the region and risks for the security of Russia and NATO countries has increased due to ice melting, resulting in both Moscow and the alliance reinforcing their northern fleets.