Editorial
Russia has stopped annual payments to the Arctic Council until it resumes "effective work" with the participation of all member countries, Russian state news agency RIA reported, citing the Foreign Ministry.
Cooperation between the intergovernmental body's Western Arctic states and Moscow was suspended after Russia invaded Ukraine two years ago.
Il Arctic Council was established in 1996 to discuss issues affecting the polar region, ranging from pollution to local economic development to search and rescue missions.
The work of the Council, which includes the eight Arctic states of Finland, Norway, Iceland, Sweden, Russia, Denmark, Canada and the United States, in the past has led to the signing of binding agreements on environmental protection and conservation.
However, with the end of cooperation with Moscow, around a third of the council's 130 projects were suspended last year, new projects cannot proceed and existing ones cannot be renewed.
For the moment, Russia is not considering leaving the Council, the Foreign Ministry said. Last week, Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, said that if the Council were to evolve into an institution hostile to Russia, then Moscow would consider whether or not to stay there.
On Tuesday, the speaker of the Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament, announced that the House will vote next week on Russia's possible exit from theOrganization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and will consider leaving other international organizations.
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