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Lawrence Cannon in Moscow: "We do not at all intend to militarize the Arctic "

Article published in La Presse, September 17, 2010

Moscow - an official visit to Moscow, the Foreign Minister of Canada Lawrence Cannon defended Canadian sovereignty in the Arctic yesterday, but flatly refused to talk about "militarization" the region.

"We do not intend to militarize the Arctic," he said at a news conference, accompanied by his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.

Paradoxically, Minister Cannon went on to pointing out that Canada will exercise its sovereignty in the Arctic "first by a robust presence of Canadian forces and equipment which must necessarily surround their presence."

In August, when the Conservative government unveiled its policy on the Arctic, he said that Canadian sovereignty back to "very far", it is "well established and based on our ownership history. "But she has never been recognized internationally.

Evidence to UN
By 2013, Canada intends to submit to the Committee responsible for implementation the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea evidence that the Lomonosov Ridge is an extension of Canadian territory. "We believe our record will prevail, with the support of scientific evidence," said Minister Cannon yesterday.

But on this point, Russia already has a head start. In 2001, she filed the first studies to support the theory of attachment these seamounts in Eurasian continent. They were neither rejected nor accepted. Since then, the Russians support their case.
Denmark also started the game and seeking recognition as the backbone continuity of Greenland.

The attraction for the Arctic has increased in recent years the melting of the ice cap more accessible deposits of oil which could represent 13% of oil reserves and 30% of undiscovered natural gas the globe. The United States and Norway also have claims.

Ottawa does not worry Moscow
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia did not seem too concerned about the Canadian position yesterday. "Any claim must be based on scientific facts that the commission's review. This is where we decide who is right and who is wrong," said Sergei Lavrov.

Even if Russia also deployed troops in the Arctic, we can not speak of militarization of the territory, he said: "Canada and Russia are of course a liability for the security of their borders and inland Maritime passing near these borders. And we will naturally fulfill this responsibility by practical action steps. "

" We do not see what could be the contribution of NATO in the Arctic, "said Minister Lavrov, without further detail.

Canada regularly intercepted Russian bombers that s 'nearing its air space in the North. In August, during a visit to the Arctic, where he had gone to observe the military exercises more and more impressive each year, Prime Minister Stephen Harper s That was indeed functioning as an incident of its kind to justify the purchase of 65 stealth fighters he had to announce at a cost of $ 16 billion.