Route magazine made an Interview from me, about the arctic, You can read it on their Website here.
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We publish our exclusive interview on the Arctic affairs with Alexandre Latsa, French expert in geopolitics and author of “Putin’s New Russia”. The RIA Novosti News Agency contributor Alexandre Latsa analyzes the business prospects of the Northern Sea Route and assesses the possibility of Russia’s 2013 Arctic claim approval by the United Nations Commission on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
Route Magazine: In your comprehensive review of Arctic affairs in 2011 you mentioned that Western scholars Mackinder and Spykman had an idée fixe of maintaining military presence in the High North. Today some experts claim the conflict potential in the Arctic is rather low, but NATO, nevertheless, is actively striving to sneak into the region on the pretext of “civilian SAR and natural disaster response”. In your opinion, what are the geopolitical goals of these maneuvers?
Alexandre Latsa: This geopolitical view on Eurasia appeared and was developed with one goal: to ensure control over Eurasian strategic transportation corridors and energy supply routes both in the South (the Caspian and the Black sea areas) and in the High North (the Arctic). This theory has gradually become a very important and pressing practical issue due to the fact that climate change will soon open the Northern Sea Route. The Arctic becomes the key region for the future of global energy policy. Just recently the EU delegation has led talks in Moscow with Russia and raised the question of the Arсtic. Mr. Alekperov, head of Lukoil oil company, said that Arctic’s oil reserve will help Russia to provide Europe in the nearest future.
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