''The Arctic was peacefully divided between the Soviet Union, Norway, Denmark, the USA and Canada till 1982. No disputes had been raised. It was not an ax to grind. Actually the region was viewed as nothing more than a useless desert covered by ice. Since then the borders are still not clearly defined and tested by international law.
The discovery of hydrocarbons and other natural resources deposits changed it all. The Arctic region has 22% of the world’s undiscovered energy resources – and 84% of those resources are expected to occur offshore (so 18.5% of the undiscovered resources are on or under the Arctic seabed). The Arctic’s natural riches have made it a very lucrative place for exploration – and potentially a «hot» one. Now we have stiff competition supported by new national security strategies stressing the territorial claims as matters of vital importance.''
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