Al-Qaida chief Ayman al-Zawahiri The Coordinator 2017 Part 19-122-Russia-10-87

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Al-Qaida chief Ayman al-Zawahiri The Coordinator 2017 Part 19-122-Russia-10-87

the Northern Sea Route; ‘Russian harbors of the Trans-Arctic route.

Former NATO Supreme Commander Admiral James Stavridis said that Trump should look on the Arctic Ocean region as an opportunity to start cooperation with Russia on wide range of issues. “If I were advising the Trump administration and they were looking for zones of cooperation [with Russia] I would say this [Arctic Ocean] would be one,” Stavridis. If a military conflict were to centre on the Arctic, Canada and its NATO allies would be left behind with "very, very little capability," says James Stavridis,

Siberian scientists to study Arctic 'anchor points' for development of Northern Sea Route Business & Economy January 16, Results of the work will be a benchmark for further studies into infrastructures, social conditions, values and life plans of the people living in settlements along the Northern Sea Route. YEKATERINBURG, January 16. /TASS/. Specialists of the Tyumen State University will conduct studies of more than a dozen settlements, which will be used as "anchor points" in the Russian Arctic, to restore and develop the Northern Sea Route (NSR), the university’s press service said on Monday."This work will be done in the framework of the university’s project called ‘Russian harbors of the Trans-Arctic route: Areas and Societies of the Russian Arctic coast on the eve of new epoch in NSR development’," the press service said. "Restoration and development of the Northern Sea Route has been announced a major Russian priority,

“Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win”― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

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which requires urgent complex research of the key settlements ("anchor points") on Russia’s Arctic coast."The research will be done in various complex directions: historic, geographic, social, anthropological analyses of the current state and further development of the NSR "anchor points" and their communities. Results of the work would be a benchmark for further studies into infrastructures, social conditions, values and life plans of the people living in settlements along the Northern Sea Route. "The material will be of great importance for following research of the Arctic’s social transformations, for planning of the Trans-Arctic Route’s development," the press service said.The research results would be also of high applied importance: the information will be useful for the Ministry of Transport, the state authority for sea and river transport, for the NSR Administration in planning infrastructures for the NSR "anchor points", as well as for local municipal and regional authorities.

The Northern Sea Route - the main sea route in the Russian Arctic. Earlier, the Russian Ministry of Transport forecasted cargo flow along the Northern Sea Route by 2020 may grow tenfold to 65 million tons per year. The route crosses seas of the Arctic Ocean (Kara, Laptev, East Siberian, Chukotka) and partially the Pacific Ocean (the Bering Sea). The Northern Sea Route from the Kara Gate to the Providence Bay is about 5,600 km long. The distance between Saint Petersburg to Vladivostok along the Northern Sea Route is more than 14,000 km - compare it to the distance to be covered by the Suez Canal - more than 23,000 km.

The Arctic policy of Russia is the domestic and foreign policy of the Russian Federation with respect to the Russian region of the Arctic. The Russian region of the Arctic is defined in the "Russian Arctic Policy" as all Russian possessions located north of the Arctic Circle. (About one-fifth of Russia's landmass is north of the Arctic Circle.) Russia is one of five countries bordering the Arctic Ocean. In 2011, out of 4 million inhabitants of the Arctic, roughly 2 million lived in arctic Russia, making it the largest arctic country by population. The main goals of Russia in its Arctic policy are to utilize its natural resources, protect its ecosystems, use the seas as a transportation system in Russia's interests, and ensure that it remains a zone of peace and cooperation

Knockin' on Russia’s Arctic door Foreign Ministry in Oslo confirms possible political participation at Putin’s Arctic conference in Arkhangelsk in March. January 10, 2017A thaw in political contacts between Norway and Russia is currently blowing in the wind. For the first time since Moscow’s annexation of Crimea in March 2014 is Norway’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs likely to participate at a Russian Arctic conference on a political level.Head of Communication with the Ministry, Frode Øverland Andersen, confirms in an e-mail to the Barents Observer that Arkhangelsk could be visited in March.«The Foreign Ministry considers participation at a political level at the conference «Arctic - Territory of Dialogue» in Arkhangelsk during spring, but no decision is yet taken,» Frode Øverland Andersen says. «We have a long tradition of cooperating with Russia in the Arctic. Dialogue with Russian authorities has been - and still is - active and constructive in this area,» he says. It is, however, no secret that Norway’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs only has been present with diplomats and officials at Arctic conferences in Russia since Oslo decided to freeze political relations three years ago.Lavrov turned down invitation to Tromsø





Russia’s Foreign Ministry, known for playing the reciprocity game, last November turned down an invitation sent to Sergey Lavrov to come to Norway’s main annual Arctic conference, the Arctic Frontiers in Tromsø later this January. Foreign Minister Børge Brende invited Lavrov and 11 other Foreign Ministers to Tromsø.Frode Øverland Andersen will not elaborate on who from the Ministry is considering to travel to Arkhangelsk, either Minister Børge Brende or State Secretary Marit Berger Røsland. «Arctic - Territory of Dialogue Forum» on 29-30 March will be attended by President Vladimir Putin. Rogozin and Ivanov The forum is arranged by Roscongress where the Russian Geographical Society is in the programme committee. The three previous ones were arranged by the Geographical Society and took place in Moscow (2010), Arkhangelsk (2011) and Salekhard (2013).In addition to Vladimir Putin, the Arkhangelsk conference will be attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the State Commission for Arctic Development Dmitry Rogozin. For the Forum, Rogozin is head of the organizing committee. Special Presidential Representative for Environmental Protection, Ecology and Transport Sergey Ivanov is also on the list of participants. Ivanov was for many year’s Russia’s Minister of Defence. In 2014, Norway’s Akvaplan-niva signed a Collaboration Agreement with the Russian Geographical Society. Akvaplan-niva was the initiator of the Tromsø-based Arctic Frontiers conference.

Former NATO Supreme Commander Admiral James Stavridis said that Trump should look on the Arctic Ocean region as an opportunity to start cooperation with Russia on wide range of issues. WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — US President-elect Donald Trump should look on the Arctic Ocean region as an opportunity to start cooperation with Russia on wide range of issues, former NATO Supreme Commander (SACEUR) Admiral James Stavridis said at a conference at the Stimson Center’s Army and Navy Club.“If I were advising the Trump administration and they were looking for zones of cooperation [with Russia] I would say this [Arctic Ocean] would be one,” Stavridis stated on Friday. Stavridis acknowledged that the current state of tensions between Russia and relevant NATO members including the United States would make it challenging for all parties to move in a cooperative direction on Arctic policy. “All nations including Russia have an interest in an environment that is open [and] there's a fairly rich basket of cooperative activities in the North," he said. Stavridis proposed holding a summit conference of the nations with interests and territories in the Arctic Ocean to launch a wide range of scientific, environmental, economic and rescue and relief initiatives in the region.

How Russian advances in the Arctic are leaving NATO behind'It's hard to ignore the military buildup that's going on in the Arctic Ocean'As Russian cyber activities in the United States and military intervention in Syria dominate headlines, the Russian bear has pursued a steady march forward much closer to Canada, in the Arctic.Russia moved ahead with several steps in its Arctic strategy in 2016, refurbishing military bases, constructing new airfields and building outports. A key element of this policy came together in June, when Russia launched its new nuclear-powered icebreaker in St. Petersburg. With Russia and the West finding itself at odds across the globe, is it time for Canadians to be worried about the Russian bear in the Arctic?The Kremlin retains a "longstanding desire to undermine the U.S.-led liberal democratic





order" and is acting on it, according to a declassified report from U.S intelligence agencies on hacking during the U.S election.Russia has also defied U.S policy in Syria, supporting the government of Bashar al-Assad in its civil war, annexed Crimea and supported pro-separatist rebels in Ukraine.The new Russian nuclear-powered icebreaker Arktika (Arctic) launches in St. Petersburg, Russia, Thursday, June 16, 2016. Russia has been modernizing its icebreaker fleet as part of its efforts to strengthen its Arctic presence. (AP Photo/Evgeny Uvarov)If a military conflict were to centre on the Arctic, Canada and its NATO allies would be left behind with "very, very little capability," says James Stavridis, a retired U.S navy admiral, former supreme allied NATO commander and dean of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in Massachusetts."It's a full-spectrum press [for Russia] in the Arctic," Stavridis told CBC News. "NATO broadly, and Canada in particular, have the idea of 'high North, low tension.' I get that. But it's hard to ignore the military buildup that's going on in the Arctic Ocean."Though Stavridis does hope the Arctic can be a mutually co-operative area, recent history suggests NATO and other northern countries should remain vigilant.

ANALYSIS: Forget Syria, Russia's muscle is moving closer to Canada's doorstep

Russia launches massive Arctic military drills

No indication of Russian aggression in the Arctic: U.S State Department

"This is NATO space, these are all NATO allies or close NATO friends,"

he said. "We should be increasing our Arctic surveillance, we should be building more icebreakers. Not in an aggressive way, but in a way that lets our Russian colleagues understand we have a deep investment in the Arctic." Pushing back? Rob Huebert, an expert in Arctic and offshore issues at the University of Calgary, agrees Canadians need to keep a watchful eye on Russia in the North."History won't allow us to forget that a state that uses military force to change borders to achieve political objectives usually does not stop that type of behaviour until they meet a capability that can push back," Huebert said."We have to make sure we can provide that type of pushback with our NATO allies," he said. "It's saying you can't start pushing [in the Arctic] the way you've been pushing elsewhere." Huebert says Russian activity in the far North is similar to its actions in Syria, Ukraine and the Baltics. He does not trust the Russians to co-operate in the Arctic and calls for Canada to move on national shipbuilding."We have to get much more serious," he said. "You need to have some means of responding along with your allies if Russian intent becomes much more aggressive." Though Canada is moving ahead with plans to build more ships, a new heavy icebreaker to replace the aging Louis St. Laurent will not exist until the 2020s, and the process to





replace the CF-18 fighter jets continues slowly.Diplomacy and discussion When it comes to the Canadian government's current response to the Russian buildup, maintaining communication is the current plan, a Global Affairs spokeswoman wrote in an email to CBC News. "Dialogue on Arctic issues is critical for that ecosystem," Jessica Séguin said. "Our position on sovereignty will remain firm and steadfast." Andrea Charron, the director of Carleton University's Centre for Security, Intelligence and Defence Studies in Ottawa, argues tough talk does nothing to help the relationship. To her, fear of a coming conflict in the far North is overblown. "In terms of all-out conflict with Russia, in the Arctic, because of the Arctic, nobody is seeing that in the near future," she said.

As the largest Arctic nation, Russia would have the most to lose in any confrontation there, Charron said. Sharing the Arctic with Canada forces it to act differently than elsewhere in the world. She sees work on the Arctic Council, and other multi-national Arctic co-operation efforts in search and rescue, as a way to create a positive relationship in the Arctic Circle."We have to compartmentalize issues," Charron said. "Events in Syria and elsewhere, they are reprehensible. It's something we as Canadians want to stop and assist with, but vilifying Russia in the Arctic is not going to stop those issues."

The Russian military has established a new radar facility on the remote Wrangel island in the Arctic to bolster security of the country’s land and air borders in the increasingly





strategic region.“A new radar array complex Sopka-2 entered service on Wrangel Island in 2016. The main mission of the radar is acquiring, generalizing and analyzing of aerial situation in the Arctic region,” RIA Novosti quoted Eastern Military District’s spokesman Alexander Gordeev. The complex can be used both for controlling civilian air traffic, as well as monitoring airspace for potentially hostile targets. The radar can also provide detailed meteorological data.The radar was constructed by civil and military specialists in harsh weather conditions in a very short time.The Russian military established a base on Wrangel Island in 2014. The facility is constructed out of pre-manufactured modules and has everything needed for long-term habitation, including kitchen and canteen, sauna, billiard room and living quarters.“Radio technical troops are undertaking serious efforts to strengthen control over airspace in Russia’s Arctic territories,” military spokesman Andrey Koban said late December.

Russia Could Deploy Navy Into The Arctic. Russia plans on keeping its naval fleet in operation throughout 2017 to ensure that the country's interests in places like the Arctic and Mediterranean are supported by their forces on the water, an official with the Russian Navy said Monday."In 2017, the Northern Fleet will continue to actively and deliberately support naval presence in the

world's oceans," said Vadim Serga, the head of Russia’s Northern Fleet press operations, according to a state-run media organization.Russia's current operations include the presence of an aircraft carrier, a battlecruiser and an anti-submarine destroyer in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Officials have been planning expanded operations throughout the globe if that should become necessary.“The crews of a number of surface ship groups have started preparations for long-haul expeditions to the seas of the Arctic Ocean, to various areas of the Atlantic and to the Mediterranean basin," Serga said. -- At first glance, you might mistake this design as a spaceship from one of the Star Wars films. But the futuristic craft is actually Russia's proposed new nuclear-powered icebreaker. The ice-breaking craft, which has been named 'Leader', is designed to keep the Northern Sea Route, along the country's Arctic coast, open all year round. -- The statements came less than a week after Russian officials indicated that two very advanced submarines will be floated out in 2017. The subs, both nuclear, have been in the works for quite a long time and have faced budget shortfalls and delays. However, the ships may not be ready for sea trials in 2017 since they will need to be docked first and





there will likely be further systems to install before they can be sent out to sea. Those submarines can cost between $890 million and $1.5 billion to construct, according to NDTV. Russia bolstered some of its defense capabilities in 2016 as international relations began to seem increasingly shaky. In the Arctic, the Russian military opened up several military outposts in order to boost their anti-missile and anti-air defense capabilities there. Increasing presence in the Arctic has also been a strategic move looking toward the future: The Arctic holds a large reserve of mostly untapped oil reserves. The area will likely also become a major maritime trading route in the future as global climate change alters temperatures and melts the sea ice that has made the area difficult to pass historically.

‘Natural habitat for 2mn citizens’: Russia outlines Arctic development focus ahead of intl forumPublished time: 17 Jan, 2017 Russia has renewed its commitment to economic development in the Arctic, ahead of a high-profile international summit dedicated to the region, where President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to deliver the keynote address.“Unlike for many of our foreign partners, who believe that the Arctic is an exotic land populated only by small indigenous peoples leading a traditional way of life, for us it is a normal place to live. Over 2 million people live in the Russian segment of the Arctic, more than half of the entire Arctic population,” Aleksander Tsybulskiy, Deputy Minister of Economic Development, said during a press conference in Moscow. “For us the Arctic is a territory of everyday life, an area of economic development, a place where we should create a comfortable existence for Russian citizens living there… while for our partners it is sometimes a territory of conservation where they want to preserve ancestral forms of living.”More than 1,000 people from 14 countries are expected to attend the summit in Russia’s Arctic port of Arkhangelsk in March, the fourth such conference, and the first since 2013.The carefully considered theme, ‘Man in the Arctic,’ was chosen specifically “because it is minimally politicized, and allows a comfortable dialogue for both Arctic and outside nations,” Tsybulskiy said. The Deputy Minister said countries including China, India, Japan and Germany expressed interest in the conference, not least because of future economic opportunities in natural resource extraction, and shipping.The forum would be split into nine different segments, including ecology, and tourism, but there was no intention to conceal the economic focus, Tsybulskiy said.“It’s not a secret to anyone that when we talk about developing the Arctic, we are talking about investing in hydrocarbon projects. It is the main driver of our activity in the region,” stated Mikhail Grigoriev, a leading oil & gas academic, who advises the Russian government, as several officials referred to the potential oil and gas reserves of up to 100 billion barrels that await discovery.“Right now a priority is development of the mining-ore base, as well as the large-scale modernization of the industrial complex in the Arctic area,” said Elena Bezdenezhnykh, Vice President of Norilsk Nickel, the Russian metals giant.Norilsk Nickel plans to increase geological investment in the area by 25 percent annually, as well as to upgrade Soviet-era infrastructure, such as the airport in Norilsk, Bezdenezhnykh said.

Further details are expected to be announced at the forum itself, which Tsybulsky said will now become a regular event, to be staged once every two years, and always in Arkhangelsk, where hosting facilities will be developed.





2012, The Chinese company, a large-scale state-owned enterprise specializing in infrastructure investments, has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Republic of Komi with the ultimate goal of developing the Belkomur, the railway line connecting the northern Russian cities of Perm and Arkhangelsk.




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Al-Qaida chief Ayman al-Zawahiri The Coordinator 2017 Part 19-122-Russia-10-87