MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th May, 2021) Russia proposes resuming meetings of the Arctic Council member states' chiefs of general staff and is interested in Washington's stand on this offer, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday.
"If anyone wants more predictability and wants to reduce military risks, then I suggest that we return to our long-standing proposal to resume the mechanism of regular meetings of the chiefs of staff of the armed forces of the Arctic Council member states. This mechanism used to function, but around seven years ago our Western colleagues decided to freeze it. We have renewed our proposal to reactivate this mechanism. As the first step, we may start not from the level of general staff chiefs, but just hold a meeting at the level of military experts of eight Arctic Council member countries. Our proposal is on the table. We will listen, of course, in Reykjavik, about what the United States feels about our position," Lavrov said at a press conference, held after talks with Sierra Leone's foreign minister.
