THE PARTICIPATION OF OBSERVERS IN THE ARCTIC COUNCIL - EVOLUTION AND PROSPECTS

International Relations
Authors:
SBOYCHAKOVA Anastasiia
Abstract:

The article examines the relationship between the activities of the intergovernmental discussion forum ‘The Arctic Council’ and the interest in the Arctic region on the part of non-regional participants. A historical retrospective is used to study the origin of interstate cooperation in the Arctic region, the formation and evolution of the process of bilateral and multilateral interaction of observers with the member States of the Arctic Council. The reasons for the interest of non-regional participants in the Arctic region were revealed, the motives of the main participants external to the studied forum to the Arctic were studied, the reasons why the interaction of non-Arctic states with the Arctic was carried out precisely under the auspices of the Arctic Council, the influence of the international context on the process of interaction between observers and member states was studied AC. The mechanism of the influence of an increase in the number of candidates for observers on the intensification of cooperation within the framework of the Arctic Council and the institutional development of the forum is outlined. The degree of participation of observers in the work of the forum, the reasons for the interest of non-regional participants in the Arctic, their goals, methods and tools of their influence on the policies of the member states of the Arctic Council are revealed. Periodization of the stages of activation of states external to the Arctic region and international governmental and non-governmental organizations in cooperation with the Arctic Council in historical retrospect identified the key factors contributing to the transformation of relations between member states and observers in the Arctic Council. Both the arguments in favor of further expanding the number of observers to the Arctic Council and the reasons why the adoption of new observers is not in the interests of the forum are systematized. The results of the study show that in the coming years (Russia's chairmanship in the AU) the expansion of the number of observers in the AU does not seem realistic.