By Girish Linganna
Russia's Arctic Region is believed to have large untapped reserves of oil, natural gas, and rare earth minerals. These minerals are essential for important and growing industries like artificial intelligence (AI), electric vehicles (EVs), and semiconductors.
Russia's Arctic region spans about 5,500 kilometres along the northern coast, covering an area of roughly 2 million square kilometres. It includes vast, remote areas rich in natural resources like oil, natural gas, and minerals. The region is crucial for Russia's energy and economic interests, making Russia's Arctic region highly significant.
With the Arctic Ocean becoming more accessible due to global warming, there are new opportunities for India. An expert from an Indian think tank told Sputnik, a Russian news outlet, that this could mean long-term and stable energy supplies for India. Additionally, India could gain access to the critical minerals that are plentiful in the polar region.
Dr. Raj Kumar Sharma, a senior research fellow at the New Delhi-based think tank NatStrat, mentioned that Russia is increasingly seeking “friendly countries” to collaborate on projects in the Arctic Region. This shift is partly due to the “pause” in activities of the eight-nation Arctic Council following the Ukraine conflict.
The eight nations in the Arctic Council are Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden, and the United States. The Council paused its activities following the Ukraine conflict, impacting collaboration on Arctic issues. Russia is now exploring other partnerships, including through BRICS and with countries like China. Sharma noted that Arctic energy resources are free from the political instability seen in West Asia. He said, “The Arctic offers a stable source of energy for India, and we can explore the possibility of long-term contracts.”
Russia has the largest Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) among the eight Arctic Council member states, which are the countries bordering the northern polar region. Russia's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the Arctic spans about 4 million square kilometres, making it the largest among the eight Arctic Council member states. This vast area provides Russia significant access to valuable resources like oil, natural gas, and minerals.
Russia's Arctic region, which includes the landmass and territorial waters along the northern coast, covers an area of roughly 2 million square kilometres. However, Russia's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the Arctic, which extends 200 nautical miles from its coast into the Arctic Ocean, spans about 4 million square kilometres. This larger area includes the marine spaces where Russia has special rights regarding the exploration and use of marine resources.
Dr. Sharma suggested that collaboration on projects in areas like hydrocarbons, infrastructure development, connectivity, timber, and mining could define the future of India-Russia cooperation in the Arctic.”India and Russia need to diversify their relationship beyond just defense trade. The Arctic offers an opportunity to broaden and strengthen India-Russia ties,” he said.
Dr. Sharma is one of the international speakers at a conference called ‘The Arctic and our Global Neighbourhood,' held in Petrozavodsk from May 22-24. This event is organized by the Russian think tank Interregional Scientific Forum (ISF) and includes experts from various countries.
Since launching its ‘Arctic Policy' in March 2022, India has increased its activities in the polar region. The Arctic Policy focuses on six main areas: enhancing scientific research and cooperation, protecting the climate and environment, promoting economic and human development, improving transportation and connectivity, ensuring governance and international cooperation, and building national capacity.
According to an article by the Interregional Scientific Forum, India and Russia are currently working together to develop the Vankor field on the Taymyr Peninsula and the Taas-Yuryakh field in Yakutia, both located in the Russian Arctic region. Russia has also agreed to train Indian seafarers in Arctic navigation at the Russian Maritime Training Institute in Vladivostok. This agreement was made during the visit of Indian Ports, Shipping, and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal to Russia last September. Seafarers are people who work on ships or boats, navigating and operating them. They include sailors, captains, and crew members who ensure the safe transport of goods and passengers across waters.
Importantly, New Delhi has shown strong interest in collaborating with Moscow to develop the Northern Sea Route (NSR), which passes through Russia's EEZ. At a foreign policy conference in New Delhi in February, Jaishankar mentioned that the Polar Route might create a new logistical pathway between India and Europe, passing through the Indo-Pacific region.
In addition to collaborating with Russia, India is also working on joint projects in the Arctic Region with Norway, which currently chairs the Arctic Council. According to India's Ministry of External Affairs, India set up its first Polar Research Station, Himadri, in Norway in 2008.During the Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi in February, Norwegian State Secretary Andreas Motzfeldt Kravik suggested that the Arctic Council should separate the Ukraine issue from its cooperation efforts. This idea was well-received by the Indian audience.
“I believe it's crucial for us to try to separate some of these issues,” said Norwegian State Secretary Andreas Motzfeldt Kravik during a panel discussion. “We've been quite successful in doing so. Even at the peak of the Cold War, we engaged in sustainable fisheries cooperation with Russia, and we still do to maintain those fish stocks. The Arctic Council should effectively manage such issues.” Dr. Sharma pointed out that problems like climate change in the Arctic affect all of humanity.
“It's unfortunate that the Arctic Council is not functioning right now. Even during the Cold War, Arctic cooperation didn't stop. As an observer, India can only hope that the Arctic Council resumes its activities,” he said. Dr. Sharma suggested that if the Arctic Council remains inactive for an extended period, Russia might create a new “mechanism” for conducting scientific and exploratory projects in the Arctic Region. “BRICS could serve as that platform,” he proposed. “We might hear something about this at the BRICS Annual Summit in Russia this year.”
In recent years, China has become a key partner for Russia in scientific and energy projects in the Arctic. Beijing's interest in the polar region has been growing since it introduced its Arctic Policy in 2018. (IPA Service)
