News Highlight
The Russian president presided over the launch of two nuclear-powered icebreakers at St. Petersburg and said such icebreakers were of “strategic importance.”
Key Takeaway
- ‘Yakutia’ and “Rossiya,” nuclear icebreaker with a displacement of up to 33,540 tonnes, was launched into the water and can break through three metres of ice.
- There are two already similar vessels in service, Arktika and Sibir.
What is the Arctic?
- The Arctic is a polar region located in the northernmost part of Earth.
- Land within the Arctic region has seasonally varying snow and ice cover.
- It consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Alaska (United States), Canada, Finland, Greenland (Denmark), Iceland, Norway, Russia, and Sweden.
The Russian icebreakers significant
- The Northern Sea Route
- It cut down time to reach Asia by up to two weeks compared to the current route via the Suez canal.
- Great Arctic power
- Both icebreakers were laid down as part of their largescale, systematic work to reequip and replenish the domestic icebreaker fleet to strengthen Russia’s status as a “great Arctic power.
- Strategic significance
- The Arctic is taking on greater strategic significance due to climate change, as a shrinking ice cap opens up new sea lanes.
- Vast oil and gas resources lie in Russia’s Arctic regions, including a liquefied natural gas plant on the Yamal Peninsula.
India stands to the Arctic.
- The Arctic policy
- In 2022, India unveiled its first Arctic policy titled: ‘India and the Arctic: building a partnership for sustainable development.
- Himadri
- India launched its first scientific expedition to the Arctic Ocean in 2007 and opened a research base named “Himadri” at the International Arctic Research Base at Ny-Alesund, Svalbard, Norway, in 2008.
The Arctic Council
- About
- The Arctic Council is the leading intergovernmental forum promoting cooperation, coordination and interaction among the Arctic States.
- Organisational Structure
- The Arctic Council is a high-level intergovernmental body set up in 1996 by the Ottawa declaration.
- Members
- The Council has eight circumpolar countries.
- Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the United States of America.
- Observer status
- It is open to non-Arctic states and inter-governmental, inter-parliamentary, global, regional and non-governmental organisations.
- Observers have no voting rights in the Council.
- Observer members
- Germany
- Netherlands
- Poland
- United Kingdom
- France
- Spain
- China
- India
- Italy
- Japan
- South Korea
- Singapore
- Switzerland
- Arctic Council Secretariat
- The standing Arctic Council Secretariat formally became operational in 2013 in Norway.
- Working of the council
- The Chairmanship of the Arctic Council rotates every two years among the Arctic States.
- Canada was the first country to chair the Arctic Council (1996-1998).
Content Source: The Hindu