There are also the high seas, 200 nautical miles beyond national borders, where no nation has sovereignty.

The Northern Sea Route can be many different routes depending on the sailing conditions, on the weather conditions.

But from the Russian interpretation, as long as you start, you know, in one end and finish in the other, so even if at some point the passage would include high seas, Russia would still claim that this is the Northern Sea Route under the Russian national jurisdiction where Russian rights apply.

It is actually quite controversial, and it's not, it's not universally accepted interpretation.

As a result of, of the growing accessibility of the Arctic Ocean, they have a potential to become strategically important both for commercial navigation as well as potential for military use.

And the Northern Sea Route is the first route that is being developed both for climatic reasons, because it's opening faster than the Transpolar Route or the route through the Canadian archipelago, the, the Northwest Passage, and for political reasons, because Russia is very much interested.

This is one of their greatest ambitions for Arctic development, is to make the Northern Sea Route a major maritime link between continents, between Asia, Europe, and North America.

Other states in the region are keeping across developments

Russian activities and policies, rhetoric surrounding Svalbard has changed in recent years.

Indeed.

So just to say that Russians would claim that, of course, they've been on Svalbard for centuries, you know, that their presence, that there are signs of that, and actually they use that in the narrative of the Russian, you know, Russian presence, long-term presence on Svalbard.

planting the seeds of sort of connecting the Russian presence that even before the Norwegians ever were there.

So that's part of that, of the Russian sort of claims to that territory.

So yes, indeed, Russia for decades pursued what I would describe as a calculated pressure on Norway, challenging Norwegian governance, probing legal boundaries of the Stalbard Treaty, of the Norwegian governance.

They're accusing Norway systematically of you know, trying to pressure Russia away, using different means to limit Russian presence on the island, accusing Norway of militarization of Svalbard.

Do you see the Russia and China partnership in particular having any importance in the context of Svalbard and Russia's presence there?

Russian activities and policies, rhetoric surrounding Svalbard has changed in recent years.

Indeed.

So just to say that Russians would claim that, of course, they've been on Svalbard for centuries, you know, that their presence, that there are signs of that, and actually they use that in the narrative of the Russian, you know, Russian presence, long-term presence on Svalbard.

planting the seeds of sort of connecting the Russian presence that even before the Norwegians ever were there.

So that's part of that, of the Russian sort of claims to that territory.

So yes, indeed, Russia for decades pursued what I would describe as a calculated pressure on Norway, challenging Norwegian governance, probing legal boundaries of the Stalbard Treaty, of the Norwegian governance.

They're accusing Norway systematically of you know, trying to pressure Russia away, using different means to limit Russian presence on the island, accusing Norway of militarization of Svalbard.

Do you see the Russia and China partnership in particular having any importance in the context of Svalbard and Russia's presence there?