Canadian foreign minister Melanie Joly expressed concern that Russia is opening up access to the Arctic to China.
"Obviously, Russia has no red lines. Its plans for the Arctic and its resources are well known," the minister said, presenting a new strategy for Canada's foreign policy in the region. "Russia is increasingly dependent on China because of the war in Ukraine, so it is changing its historical position by opening up access to its part of the Arctic to China."
Joly stressed that Canada is concerned about the increasingly significant presence of Russia and China in the Arctic. "Now China has begun to conduct joint operations with Russia. We are seeing more and more ships in the Arctic, which are not only conducting scientific research there," the minister said.
The foreign minister added that cooperation between Russia and China in the Arctic is taking place against the background of the ongoing melting of the Arctic ice, which opens up shorter sea routes between Europe and the Indo-Pacific region. "[The West's] competitors see [in this regard] new opportunities for exploring natural resources in the Arctic," she added.
According to Joly, in order to strengthen its Arctic borders, Ottawa will continue to strengthen its military presence in the Arctic and cooperation with allies, tass.ru reports.
Alex Shishlo, Editor in Chief of the European Bureau, Rough&Polished
