MOSCOW, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- Russia is taking measures to ensure its security and interests in the Arctic, a Russian official has said.
The Arctic is turning into a region of geopolitical struggle, and tensions are rising not only between Russia and the West, but also within the Western coalition, said Vladislav Maslennikov, director of the Russian Foreign Ministry's Department for European Affairs, in an interview with RIA Novosti on Tuesday.
Military-political confrontation in the Arctic, he said, is escalating due to the fault of Western countries, which are increasing the scale and intensity of military exercises in the region and using unilateral sanctions.
Russia is taking measures, including military-technical ones, to ensure its security and interests in the Arctic, which are not directed against other states and fully comply with international law, Maslennikov said. ■
