NATO says cannot allow 'security vacuum' in Arctic

INA-  sources

NATO cannot allow a security vacuum to develop in the Arctic, where the alliance sees "growing strategic competition" from Russia and China, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Friday.
 
"We cannot afford a security vacuum in the High North. It could fuel Russian ambitions, expose NATO and risk miscalculation and misunderstandings," Stoltenberg said.
 
"We also see an increased Chinese interest in the region. China has defined itself as a near Arctic state and aims to  build a presence here," he added.

Stoltenberg was speaking during a visit to the Bardufoss base in northern Norway, where the alliance is conducting large-scale military exercises, dubbed Cold Response. 

Moscow had increased military activity in the Arctic in recent years, he told a press conference, modernising its existing bases and building new ones in a clear sign it intends to be a dominant player in the coveted region. 

Russia's Kola Peninsula, which borders Arctic Norway, is home to the powerful Northern Fleet, with its huge concentration of nuclear weapons and numerous military installations. 

"For all these reasons the High North is an area of critical importance for all Allies. This is why NATO has increased its military presence in the North," said Stoltenberg, whose term of office has been extended for a year because of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, on NATO's eastern flank.