US, Russia Should Partner in Arctic – US Senator

Russia and the United States should cooperate in the Arctic, which is the most favorable area of partnership between the two countries, US Senate Energy Committee Chairperson Lisa Murkowski told Sputnik on the sidelines of the IHS CERAWeek in Houston, Texas.

HOUSTON (Sputnik) — The Arctic shelf is believed to hold enormous deposits of oil and natural gas. Russia has been laying claims to these areas within its offshore border areas, along with the four other Arctic nations – the United States, Canada, Norway and Denmark. Russia has the most advanced presence in the region, as well as the world’s largest icebreaker fleet.

"I believe that Russia can and should be a partner with us. We have more opportunity in the Arctic than any other area to find a relationship with Russia," Murkowski said on Monday.

Murkowski continued that although she has been critical of Russia, she believes that the two countries have a potential for good cooperation in the area.

"I do not think that they [Russians] have been as open as our other Arctic neighbors in sharing, for instance, Arctic research and in working with the other Arctic nations to cooperate in other areas. But I do believe that we have that potential to do so,” Murkowski said.

The senator explained that good prospects for joint cooperation are, in part, “because we [US, Russia] do not have any history that is embedded in the Arctic where we have been adversaries."