The soft power dimension of Russia in the Arctic

Moscow has countless times reassured the rest of the international (arctic) community that they seek more cooperation and dialogues than confrontations. And if there would be a dispute within the Arctic zone, they would wish and endeavour to use only peaceful means in compliance with the international law and Arctic organization’s principles.¹⁵³ And even though their military numbers and actions rise, Russia focuses even more on soft security threats, such as climate change issues, scientific cooperation, etc., than the hard ones, such as a nuclear war or Arctic conflict in general.

With regard environment, Moscow has been “cleaning the Soviet-made environmental mess, search and rescue (SAR) operations, fighting oil spills, poaching, smuggling, illegal

149 KOZACHENKO, Aleksey, Bogdan STEPOVOYt and El’nar BAYNAZAROV, 2019. Kholodnaya volna:

inostrantsam sozdali pravila prokhoda Sevmorputi, https://iz.ru/852943/aleksei-kozachenko-bogdan-stepovoi-elnar-bainazarov/kholodnaia-volna-inostrantcam-sozdali-pravila-prokhoda-sevmorputi

150 MELINO, Matthew a Heather A. CONLEY, nedatováno. The Ice Curtain: Russia’s Arctic Military Presence [online]

151 BERTELSEN Rasmus G. 2020. What is the Arctic to the Kingdom of Denmark and the Russian Federation?.

Available at? [online].

152 PEREZ, Christian, 2020. Resource Competition in the Arctic, Part One: Resource Competition in the Arctic.

Foreign Policy [online].

153 SERGUNIN, A. a V. KONYSHEV, 2016. Russia in the Arctic. Hard or Soft Power? [online]. Ibidem-Verlag.

ISBN 978-3-8382-0753-7.

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migration”¹⁵⁴ , and overall developed and practised their program to clean up the Arctic region since 2011.¹⁵⁵ To be seen as a more soft power actor, Russia tends to deal with their social and economic problems within the area more frequently than they used to. It is primarily about the indigenous people and their living conditions, and the Russian approach.¹⁵⁶ Moreover, in good faith, the RF also shared particular information concerning the delimitation of the continental shelf, such as maps, data, and charts.¹⁵⁷

To face these challenges, to collaborate and promote cooperation, Russia has been very active in the organisations and forums regarding the Arctic region. The best known and most operating one is the Arctic Council (AC), intergovernmental forum which consists of the Arctic eight.

The AC was legally established in the Ottawa Declaration, where the Arctic eight undertook to cooperate. Moreover, the declaration “explicitly excludes military security.”¹⁵⁸ One of the AC’s purposes is to conduct research and analyzing chosen Arctic issues within their six Working Groups. Based on these findings, they subsequently develop and propose recommendations and assessments applicable in the Arctic.

Still, the decision-making power lies with the Arctic eight. The concepts and suggestions are afterward “taken by consensus among them, with full consultation and involvement of the Permanent Participant.”¹⁵⁹¹⁶⁰ Besides that, the AC acts as a tool to ameliorate the situation and governance over the Arctic.¹⁶¹ To assure the thriving cooperation within the AC, the ministerial

154 SERGUNIN, Alexander a Valery KONYSHEV, 2017. Russian military strategies in the Arctic: change or continuity? European Security [online]. 26(2), 171–189. ISSN 0966-2839.

https://doi.org/10.1080/09662839.2017.1318849

155 SERGUNIN, A. a V. KONYSHEV, 2016. Russia in the Arctic. Hard or Soft Power? [online]. Ibidem-Verlag.

ISBN 978-3-8382-0753-7.

156 Ibid.

157 LARUELLE, Marlene a Sébastien PEYROUSE, 2014. Russia’s Arctic Strategies and the Future of the Far North [online]. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-46034-3. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315700939

158 ARCTIC COUNCIL SECRETARIAT, 2020. THE ARCTIC COUNCIL: A QUICK GUIDE [online]. 2020.

Arctic Council Secretariat.

159 the Indigenous Peoples' Secretariat, which consists of Aleut International Association, Arctic Athabaskan Council, Gwich'in Council International, Inuit Circumpolar Council, Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North and Saami Council

160 ARCTIC COUNCIL SECRETARIAT, 2020. THE ARCTIC COUNCIL: A QUICK GUIDE [online]. Arctic Council Secretariat.

161 JENSEN, Leif Christian a Geir HØNNELAND, 2015. The Handbook of The Politics of the Arctic. Cheltenham:

Edward Elgar. ISBN 978 0 85793 473 4.

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meetings are held every second year and practised through Chairmanship of the Arctic eight.

Within the organizational structure, AC has a Chair, the Foreign Affairs Minister of the presiding country.¹⁶² Holder of the Chairmanship sets an official Arctic agenda and their priorities, which they would trigger during their administration.¹⁶³ Until now, Russia has been given the Chairmanship only once, in the period 2004—2006. It will change in May 2021, when their second term (2021-2023) commences.¹⁶⁴

However, it is very challenging to find an indication of Russia being a shaper in the AC based on the issued documents by the organisation. Nonetheless, it worth mention, that the Soviet initiative (besides the Finnish and Canadian one) “laid the foundations for arrangements that led to the establishment of the Arctic Council.”¹⁶⁵ Simultaneously they were the ones who pointed out potential cooperation and common rising issues regarding the Arctic region.¹⁶⁶ Although great evidence provides, the International Arctic Forum (IAF), called the “Arctic:

Territory of Dialogue”, initiated by none other than the Russian Federation. The IAF was established to deal with the essential topics and demonstrate Russian use of (soft) power and prominence in the matter of the Arctic. The IAF “was first held in 2010 and is the largest forum for discussing topical issues and prospects for the development of the Arctic region with international partners.”¹⁶⁷ More precisely, it often concerns current issues from broad fields such as climate change, sustainable growth, economy, and more others concern the Arctic circle. This forum aims to create a place where the discussions are held, and points of view

162 ARCTIC COUNCIL SECRETARIAT, 2020. THE ARCTIC COUNCIL: A QUICK GUIDE [online]. Arctic Council Secretariat.

163 JENSEN, Leif Christian a Geir HØNNELAND, 2015. The Handbook of The Politics of the Arctic. Cheltenham:

Edward Elgar. ISBN 978 0 85793 473 4.

164 ALIYEV, Nurlan, 2021. Russia’s Arctic Council Chairmanship in 2021-2023 [online]. 2021. Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung.

165 AXWORTHY, Thomas S. a Ryan DEAN, 2013. Changing the Arctic Paradigm from Cold War to Cooperation:

How Canada?s Indigenous Leaders Shaped the Arctic Council. The Yearbook of Polar Law Online [online]. 5(1), 7–43. https://doi.org/10.1163/22116427-91000117

166 STOKKE, Olav S. 1992, ‘Arctic environmental cooperation after Rovaniemi – what now?’, in L. Lyck (ed.), Nordic Arctic Research on Contemporary Arctic Problems, Proceedings from Nordic Arctic Research Forum Symposium 1992, Aalborg: Aalborg University Press, pp. 223–236.

167 Prime Minister Vladimir Putin addresses the international forum „The Arctic: Territory of Dialogue". 2010.

ARCHIVE OF THE OFFICIAL SITE OF THE 2008-2012 PRIME MINISTER OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION VLADIMIR PUTIN - Events [online] Available at: http://archive.premier.gov.ru/eng/events/news/12304/

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exchanged. Access to the IAF is not strictly limited. Political representatives such as countries, international organisations, and government bodies attend it regularly. In contrast to AC, IAF includes participants from the scientific, public, media, and business sphere.¹⁶⁸

Given the Russian founding, every The ‘Arctic: Territory of Dialogue ‘is held in Russian cities such as Moscow (2010), Arkhangelsk (2011, 2017), Salekhar (2013), and lastly, St. Petersburg.

The last (5th) IAF was held on 9–10 April 2019 in the St. Petersburg ¹⁶⁹ The participation and acceptance of the AIF has been growing during the years. In 2010, there was more than 300 participants present in Moscow, whereas on the last one was count more than 3600 attendants.

During the first Forum in Moscow, president Putin stated that: “While we are taking care of a steady and balanced development of the Russian North, we are working to strengthen our ties with our neighbors in our common Arctic home. And we think that preserving the Arctic as a zone of peace and cooperation is of the utmost importance. It is our conviction that the Arctic area should serve as a platform for uniting forces for genuine partnership in the economy, security, science, education and the preservation of the North’s cultural heritage.”¹⁷⁰ And so far, his wish of unity and collaboration has not changed.¹⁷¹

Russian greatness related to the High North was again sensed on the plenary session of the 5th International Arctic Forum. The official theme was The Arctic: An Ocean of Opportunity. The attendants were five government officials and moderator John Fraher representing the Bloomberg News. The Panellists were President of the Republic of Iceland Guðni Thorlacius Jóhannesson, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Norway Erna Solberg, President of the Republic of Finland Sauli Niinistö, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Sweden Stefan Löfven and President Putin representing the RF. President Putin took precedence with the opening remarks since Russia being the host of the event. The speech was more or less about elevating the Russian presence in the Arctic zone and their previous successes and accomplishments.

Then he reiterated his ambition of further and deeper cooperation, investments in transportation, energy sector, infrastructure, technologies, and more others. During this welcome speech, he

168 About the Forum. Roscongress Foundation [online]

169 Forum history. Roscongress Foundation [online]

170 Prime Minister Vladimir Putin addresses the international forum „The Arctic: Territory of Dialogue". 2010.

ARCHIVE OF THE OFFICIAL SITE OF THE 2008-2012 PRIME MINISTER OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION VLADIMIR PUTIN - Events [online]

171 LARUELLE, Marlene a Sébastien PEYROUSE, 2014. Russia’s Arctic Strategies and the Future of the Far North [online]. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-46034-3. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315700939

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also stressed the suggestion to the participants joining Russian Arctic projects and activities, which was besides other things the show their dominant role. Them being the ones giving them an offer on cooperation within the Arctic.¹⁷²

This plenary session was based on every representative giving a speech. Briefly, every one of them expressed a great deal of AC, cooperation, and flourishing dialogue between the participating countries. It comes as no surprise that these panelists were reasonably avoiding hot topics concerning Russian politics and acts and dealt with Arctic topics such as global warming, climate change, and economics. Besides these common issues, the primary focus was given to Russia and its presence in the Arctic zone.

However, Fraher had strong tendencies to lead the debate to irrelevant topics such as international issues concerning. Instead of the one regarding the Arctic. It is worth mention that most of the (arctic and non-arctic) questions were addressed to the President and thus, he had to keep vindicating the stance and acts of Russia. Still, President Putin’s strong rhetoric passes on the feeling of their power and independence. Most importantly, a certain message was sent by this Arctic dialogue and answers, and that is that there is no Arctic without Russia (in the foreground) in the future.¹⁷³

There is an apparent pattern of shaperism. A good illustration is a way the RF shows the inclinations to be the one who shapes the Arctic region by establishing the IAF and uniting the Arctic countries in another international body under the patronage of Russia. Moreover, every panelist gave a speech or answers in English, whereas President Putin spoke adamantly only in Russian, which only intensified the feeling and conjecture. ¹⁷⁴

172 Plenary session of the International Arctic Forum: Vladimir Putin attended the plenary session of 5th International Arctic Forum The Arctic: Territory of Dialogue. 2019. President of Russia [online]. St Petersburg.

173 Plenary session of the International Arctic Forum: Vladimir Putin attended the plenary session of 5th International Arctic Forum The Arctic: Territory of Dialogue. 2019. President of Russia [online]. St Petersburg,

174 Ibid.

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