Arctic. File photoMOSCOW, Aug 25NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that cooperation between Russia and China in the Arctic poses a challenge to the values and interests of the North Atlantic Alliance. Stoltenberg wrote an article for the Canadian newspaper Globe and Mail, in which he noted that Russia in recent years has «significantly increased its military activity» in Arctic. «Russia's ability to disrupt Allied reinforcements in the North Atlantic poses a strategic challenge for the Alliance,» the NATO Secretary General said.The United States was outraged by Russia's development of the Arctic In this regard, Stoltenberg mentioned China, which, according to him, is also «expanding its presence» in the region, declaring itself a «subarctic state» and planning to create a «Polar Silk Road» connecting China with Europe through the Arctic. Earlier this year, Beijing and Moscow committed to intensify practical cooperation in the Arctic as part of a deepening strategic partnership that challenges our values and interests,” the NATO chief said. According to Stoltenberg, NATO “is interested in maintaining security, stability and cooperation in the High North «. In this context, the NATO Secretary General noted that «as soon as Finland and Sweden join the alliance, seven of the eight Arctic states will be members of NATO.» «Membership of Finland and Sweden will significantly strengthen our position in the High North and our ability to strengthen our Baltic allies,» — said Stoltenberg. Russian Defense Minister General of the Army Sergei Shoigu said earlier that the official participation of Helsinki and Stockholm in the strategic planning of NATO, the possible provision of the territory of these states for the deployment of strike weapons will change the security conditions in the Baltic region and the Arctic and will require a revision of approaches to the defense of Russian territory . 
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