According to the statement, the task force is expected to begin negotiations this autumn….reports Asian Lite News
Canada and the US announced that they would create a task force to negotiate a boundary dispute in the Arctic region.
In a joint statement, the two countries said that the task force would undertake negotiations on the maritime boundary in the Beaufort Sea, including resolving the overlap in the continental shelf in the Central Arctic Ocean, Xinhua news agency reported.
The area at issue is situated north of Alaska, Yukon and the Northwest Territories, the statement said.
“Canada and the United States will work collaboratively toward a final agreement that will provide clarity on our Arctic maritime boundaries, bearing in mind the responsible conservation and sustainable use of Arctic resources for the mutual benefit of Americans and Canadians, including Indigenous Peoples,” said the statement.
According to the statement, the task force is expected to begin negotiations this autumn.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow is prepared to defend its interests in the Arctic, even through military means, as NATO increases its military exercises in the region.
“We observe how NATO is escalating exercises related to potential crises in the Arctic. Our country is fully prepared to defend its interests on military, political, and military-technical fronts,” Lavrov told an interview for the documentary series ‘Soviet Breakthrough,’ Xinhua news agency reported.
Lavrov’s comments come amid heightened tensions in the Arctic, where NATO has been ramping up its presence.
In July, the US Department of Defence released an updated version of its Arctic Strategy, outlining plans for joint military exercises with its allies to demonstrate combat readiness and operational compatibility. The strategy also highlights intentions to work with partners, local industries, and Alaska’s native tribes to “strengthen integrated deterrence and increase shared security” in the region.
According to the Pentagon’s strategy, the US and its allies plan to introduce more than 250 modern multi-role combat aircraft that could be deployed for Arctic operations by the 2030s.
Earlier this month, Nikolai Patrushev, an aide to the Russian president and chair of the Maritime Collegium, said that the US and its allies are intensifying pressure around Russia’s borders, constantly testing its Defence capabilities. Patrushev accused the US side of pursuing militarisation in the Arctic, seeking to hinder Russian economic activities in the northern regions.
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