“There is a lot we can learn from Russia in terms of their construction capability, as they invest in the Arctic, as they continue to build new ships, what they are doing in oil and gas exploration up in the Arctic as well, what mitigation strategy they have should there be an oil spill,” Zukunft said on Wednesday.
Zukunft noted that they are discussing these topics with their Russian counterparts within the Arctic Coast Guard Forum.
The commandant said that the next formal meeting with his Russian counterpart will be in Tokyo with the North Pacific Coast Guard Forum this fall.
"We will also have the exercise in Iceland under the Arctic Coast Guard Forum. Finland will set a date for when we will meet in Finland for the Arctic Coast Guard Forum as well," he added. "So, we will meet them on the North Pacific and also on the Arctic Coast Guard Forums… at my level, at the four-star level."
Russia has been stepping up its exploration, military, and trade 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.
The importance of the Arctic region has been increasing in recent years as the melting of the region’s sea ice has opened the possibility for further exploration of petroleum reserves in the area, as well as for navigation through the Northern Sea Route.
The Arctic shelf is believed to hold enormous deposits of oil and natural gas. According to the Ministry of Natural Resources, the total value of energy resources concentrated in Russia's Arctic region exceeds $30 trillion. Ministry experts predict that in the future, Russian oil and gas production will be mainly concentrated on the Arctic sea shelves.
