Ur talet:
The Arctic has been depicted as a region with a particularly low risk of military confrontation. This is still true and will hopefully be the case also in the future.
However, the overall security policy situation has changed. East–West tensions in Europe have returned as a result of Russia’s illegal annexation of the Crimean Peninsula and use of military force in and around Ukraine. The changes may have repercussions also on the High North, even if the uncertainties were caused by factors outside the Arctic region. The discussions have been shifting towards hard security and more attention is paid to the security policy and military dimension in the Arctic.
Another issue is that Russia has increased its military presence in its Arctic territory. Understandably, there is concern about both the motivations behind this development and the possible consequences. All the Member States of the Arctic Council and those with an observer status should collaborate closely in order to avoid unnecessary tension over Arctic issues. Hela talet