The member states of BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) show interest in cooperation in the Arctic region, Russian Foreign Ministry's Ambassador-at-Large and Chairman of the Senior Arctic Officials Nikolay Korchunov said.
"More and more countries are showing interest in working in the Arctic region. We see interest from Central Asian countries as well as from BRICS, the SCO and other associations," he said at a plenary session of a scientific and practical conference on climate change and permafrost melting on Wednesday.
"In this regard, it seems interesting to launch an initiative that involves interaction and cooperation along the existing poles - the Arctic, Antarctica and high altitude Asia, where large masses of permafrost are concentrated, and we hope that this initiative will contribute to understanding the processes faced by the climate system of our planet," Korchunov said.
He also stated that the Arctic agenda is globalizing. "The Arctic is opening up, but we would like this opening to take place on the principles of respect and preservation of the vulnerable Arctic environment, respect for the people living there, and give a boost to sustainable development, built on a concept that would exclude the accumulation of environmental damage," Korchunov pointed out.
GSV "Russia - Islamic world"
Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry
Based on materials from TASS