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| Trying to keep tensions low High North called Norway's most important strategic asset; mix of military, cooperation sought
The High North is Norway's most important strategic asset, but more military there doesn't necessarily mean more international tension, according to Minister of Defense Grete Faremo in a presentation this week. The lure of lucrative natural resources and threat posed by climate change means the five nations with interests in the north must cooperate out of self-interest, even on fiercely contested issues, Faremo said in a Feb. 8 speech at Bodø University College. "(The Arctic) has well-developed international cooperation," she said. "This is a good place to be at the forefront of innovation and to establish the necessary framework around a growing business in the area." Norway, Russia, Canada, Denmark and the United States are staking sometimes overlapping claims to what may be a quarter of the world's untapped oil, along with fisheries, commercial shipping routes and other activities. There's also concern too much activity or lax environmental oversight by one country could hurt another. Faremo said she disagrees with those arguing there are "large, unresolved questions" about disputes – with Russia in particular – about issues such as who has rights to specific offshore areas. She said existing laws and treaties are sufficient to deal with the "relatively few such outstanding issues." Military activity in the Arctic by Norway and Russia is increasing, but for reasons beyond a show of strength, Faremo said. "An increased Norwegian military presence in the north is not a sign of a military escalation," she said. "Using the military's capabilities for social tasks such as fisheries inspection, coastal surveillance, ocean surveillance and rescue preparedness is a rational and economical use of resources." Russia's increased presence is "a signal that the country is back as a regional superpower, with the ability and willingness to safeguard their interests," Faremo said. NATO also "has a natural role to play in the north" since four of the five nations involved in the debate are allies, along with Iceland which also is strongly affected by developments in the region, she added. Norway wants more NATO exercises with allies "to demonstrate solidarity." Maintaining stable relationships with other nations is vital for Russia, since more than 60 percent of the Arctic's oil and gas may be in their territory, Faremo said. "Russia will best be able to optimize the utilization and allocation of its resources in a stable economic and political climate, with access to foreign capital and technology," Faremo said. Cooperation on issues such as fishing and shipping have generally been good, and disputes don't seem to pose a threat to that overall relationship, she said. "That Russia does not fully share the Norwegian view of how the resources in the fish river zone around Svalbard are to be exercised has not led to a general increase in tension in the area," she said. One factor to cooperative relationships may be latitude, as a report released last week by the Norwegian Barents Secretariat indicates "the further north you go the better East-West relations get." The report, focusing primarily on the Kirkenes-Murmansk area, states that while solving issues of dispute "has a long way to go," years of frequent cross-border contact are helping keep tensions low. The Svalbard governor's annual report for 2009 also describes a generally favorable working relationship, albeit with a number of disputes. Criminal cases were pursued against Russians for matters such as illegal helicopter flights and a shipwreck resulting in an offshore oil spill. Russian officials, meanwhile, have complained they are not being granted equal rights for activities such as tourism and research. Published in the Feb. 9, 2010, print edition. |
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