US Seeks Stronger NATO Partnerships To Defend Arctic Interests - Pence

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 05th September, 2019) The United States is prepared to defend its interests and security in the Arctic with help from NATO allies at a time of expanding economic activity as the polar ice cap recedes, Vice President Mike Pence told reporters during a visit to Iceland.

"We're going to work to build partnerships with nations like Iceland and all of our partners across NATO to ensure that the United States and our allies have our security preserved as more activity develops in the Arctic region in the years ahead," Pence said on Wednesday.

NATO member Iceland has no armed forces but operates an air defense and surveillance system consisting of four radar sites and a central command and control.

Earlier on Wednesday, Russia's Environment Ministry head Dmitry Kobylkin said he is negotiating with energy giants Gazprom and Rosneft to expand exploration of oil and gas deposits in the Arctic.

In addition, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Russia is interested in deepening cooperation with other countries to develop the Northern Sea Route.

Russia also has a fleet of more than 40 icebreakers available to escort commercial shipping through the Arctic. In contrast, critics claim that the United States has ignored the Arctic until recently, citing the availability of only one American heavy icebreaker, the 43-year old Polar Star, which is mainly used for reconnaissance.

The Arctic has provided one of the few remaining venues of potential cooperation between Washington and Moscow. In April, the Russian patrol ship Sakhalin and the US Coast Guard cutter Alex Haley conducted a joint patrol in the Bering Sea boundary between the two nations' territorial limits.