Brussels. January 28. INTERFAX-NATO has taken the path of increasing its presence in the Arctic, as the region is experiencing an aggravation of geopolitical rivalry with Russia and China, the alliance's representative Oana Lungescu said on Thursday.
"We are now seeing growing geopolitical competition in a region where Russia and China are defending their interests," Lungescu tweeted.
"NATO has increased its presence and wants to keep the Far North a low-tension region," she said.
Lungescu attached a link to an article on the Modern War Institute website.
The article quotes her as saying that " Russia has increased its military potential in areas where it has not done so since the Cold War. We are talking about new weapons systems, radars and icebreakers."
According to Lungescu, China in turn "calls itself a" state close to the Arctic" and has plans for a "Polar Silk Road" connecting China with Europe through the Arctic, which can have far-reaching consequences."
Lungescu, according to the article, recalled that NATO regularly conducts exercises in the Arctic region, and the alliance's allies "continue to invest in key assets such as icebreakers, maritime patrol aircraft and anti-submarine defense systems."