Russia Ready To Organize Arctic Nations Summit When Conditions 'Ripe' - Foreign Ministry

Russia supports the idea of holding a summit of Arctic countries and is ready to organize the meeting during its chairmanship of the Arctic Council, provided conditions are auspicious, Nikolai Korchunov, the ambassador-at-large of the Russian Foreign Ministry and a senior official of the Arctic Council, said in an interview with Sputnik

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 01st June, 2021) Russia supports the idea of holding a summit of Arctic countries and is ready to organize the meeting during its chairmanship of the Arctic Council, provided conditions are auspicious, Nikolai Korchunov, the ambassador-at-large of the Russian Foreign Ministry and a senior official of the Arctic Council, said in an interview with Sputnik.

In an interview with Russia's Kommersant newspaper in January, Korchunov said that Russia was in favor of organizing a high-level meeting of Arctic countries, provided it has a detailed agenda and positive atmosphere for cooperation and mutual trust.

"We support the idea of holding a summit of Arctic countries when the necessary conditions are ripe for this.

If this happens during the Russian chairmanship, we will be ready to do it," Korchunov said, noting that this was confirmed by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at the ministerial session of the Arctic Council in Reykjavik last month.

Russia, the diplomat stressed, advocates for developing dialogue at all levels, including the highest, in the interests of preserving and strengthening peace, stability and constructive cooperation in the Arctic.

Last month, Russia assumed the two-year chairmanship of the Arctic Council, an intergovernmental forum that aims at promoting partnership and coordination between the regional states. It comprises Russia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and the United States.�