- Ambassador-at-Large will be appointed to advance US policy in the northern polar region.
- Secretary of State Antony Blinken has made Arctic envoy a top priority.
- News comes as China has been constructing Arctic research stations and as Russia expands its presence close to the North Pole.
Amid heightened Russian military activities in the area, the United States intends to nominate an ambassador for the Arctic.
According to a Department of State official, the Ambassador-at-Large will be appointed to advance US policy in the northern polar region.
Jens Stoltenberg, the head of NATO, issued a warning on Friday about the danger that Russia poses in the northern polar areas.
He also expressed worry over Chinese influence in the Arctic.
According to State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel, the new US ambassador would interact with the other seven Arctic countries of Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and Russia as well as indigenous peoples and other interested parties.
The US places “critical strategic importance” on regional peace and stability, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken has made it a top priority.
The ambassador will shortly be announced by Mr. Blinken; however, the Senate must first approve the appointment.
The news comes as China has been constructing Arctic research stations and as Russia expands its presence close to the North Pole.
Jens Stoltenberg, the secretary general of NATO, said Friday during a visit to the Canadian Arctic that the military alliance faces a strategic challenge due to Russia’s capabilities in the region.
The reopening of “hundreds of new and ex-Soviet era Arctic military locations,” according to him, and Russia’s use of the high north “as a testbed for the most modern weapons, including hypersonic missiles,” are two of the difficulties.
Concern over China’s encroachment into the Arctic for shipping and resource exploitation was another issue raised by Mr. Stoltenberg.
“Moscow and Beijing have also promised to step up their actual operations in the Arctic. This is a part of the strategic alliance that is growing and challenging our interests and our values “added he.
He also discussed how the high north is becoming more crucial as a result of climate change due to easier access to the region due to melting ice.
Alaska’s Republican senator Lisa Murkowski expressed her appreciation for the nomination of an Arctic ambassador. According to her, the US was the only Arctic country without dedicated ambassador-level diplomatic representation for the area.
Jim DeHart, a career diplomat, will no longer hold the US role of Arctic Coordinator, which will be filled by the next ambassador.
[embedpost slug=”/united-states-coast-guard-unable-to-enter-solomon-islands/”]
