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Canada Ready to Use Force Against Russia in the Arctic – Canadian Foreign Minister

RIA Novosti

16:41 26/08/2014 MOSCOW, August 26 (RIA Novosti) - Canada is concerned about Russia’s military expansion in the Arctic and is ready to defend its interests in the region using military force, John Baird, Canadian foreign affairs minister, told the Berlingske newspaper Monday.

“We are deeply worried and ready to promote and protect Canada’s sovereignty in the Arctic. It’s a strategic priority for us. When it comes to militarization, we would prefer to de-escalate the conflict, but it is clear that we may protect our sovereignty by force,” Baird told the newspaper.

All Arctic coastal states are currently limited to their exclusive economic zones of 200 nautical miles. However, portions of the Arctic Sea region are in dispute for their shipping and natural resource potential. The melting of the region’s sea ice has opened the possibility for further exploration of petroleum reserves in the area.

Over the past few years, Russia has been pressing ahead with efforts aimed at the development of its northern territories, including hydrocarbon production and development of the Northern Sea Route, which is gaining traction as an alternative to traditional routes from Europe to Asia.

A series of measures have been taken to protect Russia’s interests in the Arctic amid NATO’s increased focus on the region.

In April, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin stated that Russia will build a unified network of naval facilities on its Arctic territories to host advanced warships and submarines as part of a plan to boost protection of the country’s interests and borders in the region.

The Ukrainian crisis has affected cooperation in the Arctic, with Norway, the United States, Canada and Denmark all imposing sanctions on Russia, which reciprocated with a food import ban. In April, Canada announced it would skip Arctic Council meetings in Moscow due to Russia’s annexation of the Crimean peninsula.