Gazprom Says No Issue With Foreign Partners In Arctic, Avoids Sanctions By Default

ST. PETERSBURG (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 27th May, 2021) Russian gas giant Gazprom is not experiencing any difficulty with its foreign partners while cooperating in the Arctic region and is managing to avoid sanctions by default, Director-General of Gazprom Nedra Vsevolod Cherepanov told Sputnik on Thursday.

The remark came on the sidelines of the fifth edition of the International Arctic Forum in St. Petersburg. Cherepanov was asked whether the West's concerns over Russia's alleged increase of military presence in the Arctic region and subsequent pressure of sanctions affect the company's activities and international cooperation in the region.

"We have purely technical work at the expert level, we meet zero contradictions when it comes to the international cooperation in the Arctic region. At the level of commerce, there are no such things. All companies want to earn money ... anyway, we do not face any problems when we turn to foreign companies for help, technologies and so on. Sanctions are an aspect that we also manage to solve by default," Cherepanov said.

The company's chief underlined that the development of the Arctic was a very complex and integrated project, detached from politics. Cherepanov added that it required the use of advanced technology, therefore the company is actively cooperating with foreign partners.

"Russia will see growth in the Arctic. This applies to our company as well. The Arctic region is our main direction where we have leading positions," he added.

Earlier this year, Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said that some countries were still attempting to weaken Russia's position in the region, noting that they are trying to increase military activity and boost sanctions.

Responding to Western nations' accusation that Russia has been recently very active in boosting its military capabilities in the region, Moscow has repeatedly said that its military activities in the Arctic are legal due to it being official Russian territory and a domain for security of which Russia is responsible.