The Associated Press: “Putin says Russia will expand its presence in Arctic region, remains ‘open for dialogue’”
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin says Russia will seek to expand its presence in the Arctic.
Russia, the U.S., Canada, Denmark and Norway have all been trying to assert jurisdiction over parts of the Arctic, believed to hold up to a quarter of the Earth’s undiscovered oil and gas.
Putin said in televised comments Thursday that Russia “remains open for dialogue” with its polar neighbors, but will “strongly and persistently” defend its interests in the region.
Russia, Canada and Denmark are planning to file claims to the United Nations asserting their respective rights to the Lomonosov Ridge, an underwater mountain range.
In 2007 Russia staked a symbolic claim to the region by dropping a canister containing the Russian flag on the ocean floor from a small submarine at the North Pole.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
