Photo: pixabay.com
Asian countries that are Russia’s BRICS and SCO partners are interested in cooperation with Russia in the Arctic, said Nikolai Korchunov, Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Chairman of the Committee of Senior Officials of the Arctic Council.
In a comment to RIA Novosti, the diplomat said that the intentions of the Asian partners are not opportunistic, but strategic.
“These are the countries that demonstrate the outpacing pace of economic development. Many of them are BRICS and SCO members,” Korchunov said, adding that the interest of Asian states is based on strategic calculations and has a long-term perspective of cooperation.
Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia is open to cooperation with all states on work in the Arctic and called for non-regional countries to be involved in the development of the Arctic region.