Russia’s opponents can create a strategic bridgehead in a section of the Arctic Spitsbergen archipelago that is up for sale, Bloomberg writes on May 10.
According to the publication, a land plot on the Spitsbergen archipelago in the Arctic was put up for sale for 300 million euros (29.5 billion rubles). The agreement will have geopolitical consequences, Bloomberg is convinced.
Climate change has been beneficial for Russia, because the melting of ice will expand shipping routes and increase hydrocarbon reserves. But the buyer who bought the plot will be able to create there. “strategic bridgehead”write the post.
“This is the only opportunity for a buyer to obtain land in the high Arctic and create a strategic foothold”Bloomberg cites attorney Peter Killingstad, who represents the sellers’ interests.
According to the lawyer, the last private plot in an archipelago made up of several islands is for sale: three large ones, seven medium-sized ones and several small ones.
The total area of the site is about 6 thousand hectares. It is located almost 65 km from the Norwegian city of Longyearbyen, Bloomberg notes.
As the publication notes, for more than 100 years this section of the archipelago belonged to the Aktieselskabet Kulspids holding company. The names of the holding company’s current shareholders have not been revealed, although the lawyer representing them claims that they are all Norwegians.
At the same time, Bloomberg reminds that there is an important restriction on the use of land in the Arctic: buyers must comply with the terms of the Spitsbergen Treaty of 1920. The treaty was signed by more than 40 countries, including China, Russia , Great Britain and the United States.
The document recognizes Norway’s sovereignty over the archipelago and prohibits its use for military purposes.
Recall that the head of the Pentagon, Lloyd Austin, said that the United States will update its strategy in the Arctic due to global warming and the expansion of NATO. He did not provide details on the planned changes, but the US Congress believes the Arctic could become a new center of conflict with Russia.
Source: Rossa Primavera
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