The Arctic region is turning into an international theater of military operations, this is a very alarming trend, Nikolai Korchunov, Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Chairman of the Committee of Senior Officials of the Arctic Council, told RIA Novosti.

“We see how international military activity is increasing in high latitudes. There is an internationalization of military activity. This, of course, is a very disturbing trend - the transformation of the Arctic region into an international theater of military operations. This cannot but worry us,” he said, commenting on the issue of Sweden and Finland joining NATO.

“The traditional policy of Finland and Sweden, the policy of non-alignment with military alliances, has long created a solid foundation for maintaining peace and stability in high latitudes. Potentially, the accession of these countries to NATO is unlikely to contribute to the achievement of this goal,” Korchunov said.