Russia opposes 'mini-NATO' in Arctic

Updated: 2011-09-15 09:46

(Xinhua)

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MOSCOW - Russia sees no need for military troops' presence in the Arctic region, a high-ranked official said on Wednesday.

Russia's ambassador-at-large for Arctic issues Anton Vasiliev told a news conference ahead of the Second International Arctic Forum that Moscow sees no unresolvable problems in the region that require use of military forces.

"We have an effective international judicial base to resolve all potential problems," Vasiliev said.

He said Moscow has not seen any practical follow-up proposals to create a "mini-NATO" comprising of circumpolar countries. The idea of "mini-NATO" was voiced out during a summit of Northern European countries in London in January 2011.

The forum entitled "Arctic the territory of dialogue" is to start on September 22 in the northern Russian city of Arkhangelsk.