MOSCOW, April 20 (Xinhua) -- Russia envisions cooperation with other countries in the Arctic region and media reports on potential military conflicts in the region are unfounded, a senior Russian official said on Monday. "The tendency in the Arctic region is to cooperate," said Russian Ambassador-at-large Anton Vasiliev at a news conference. "What I see is a strong desire to cooperate, including in terms of territorial shelf borders." "The situation in the Arctic is stable
, satisfactory and predictable
, and we are far from making any impulsive moves," he said, adding "media reports claiming that the Arctic will become a war theater are exaggerations and only serve someone's selfish interests." "We do not foresee any problems in the Arctic in the near future that would require military solutions," he said. "All the natural claims will be solved within the existing norms of international law," he added. In August 2007
, a Russian submarine planted a flag on the Arctic seabed below the North Pole, heightening speculations about possible territorial claims. Vasiliev stressed that the move was just a symbol, not entailing any claim of ownership of the Pole. Under the international law, no country owns the North Pole or the region of the Arctic Ocean surrounding it. The five surrounding Arctic states, Russia, the United States (via Alaska),Canada
, Norway and Denmark (via Greenland), are limited to a 200 nautical miles (370 km) economic zone around their coasts. But upon ratification of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, member states can claim more territory if scientific evidence proves certain areas to be an extension of their continental shelves. Vasiliev said Russia hopes its claim for a swathe of area on the Arctic continental shelf will be supported by the UN Commission, but said additional data and probing of the seabed is needed to prove the area is an extension of its continental territory. Vasiliev said the Arctic Council is close to drafting a formal proposal for the establishment of mutual funds to develop the Arctic area. The council, established in 1996, groups Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the United States. The foreign ministers of the council's member countries will meet on April 29 in Tromso
, Norway
, to discuss the council's work plan for the next two years.Related Topics Articles：
