Mechanism of International Cooperation in Arctic: Development and Prospects

Abstract

At the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries the Arctic region has become one of the most important centers of concentration of various international interests: economic, geopolitical, academic research, environmental and many others. But at the same time, the corresponding problems coincide with the interests of different states: the disputes that arise between states about the legal status of certain maritime areas in the Arctic entail legal uncertainty as to the legitimacy of the extraction by representatives of a given state of marine living or mineral resources, the jurisdiction of the state in certain maritime areas, as well as bringing to responsibility for damage to the natural environment and many other issues arising in connection with human activities in the Arctic region. Moreover, at the beginning of the 21st century, such a problem arose as a disagreement between the Arctic and non-Arctic states regarding the extraction of marine living resources in the Arctic Ocean and the development of hydrocarbon deposits on its continental shelf and in the International Seabed Area of this ocean. To resolve and further prevent disputes arising between states in connection with their activities in the Arctic, it is necessary to analyze the mechanism of cooperation between them in the region at all levels of international legal regulation: universal, regional and subregional. Having explored the mechanism of international cooperation, it is possible to designate the following: at each level of international legal regulation, there are international treaties and international organizations that are called upon to implement them, in the Arctic region. But at the same time, the levels of legal regulation of the Arctic regime are not linked, because there is no direct relationship either between treaties adopted at various levels, or between bodies or organizations functioning in accordance with such treaties. It is also important to note that many sectoral cooperation in the Arctic region have not yet been resolved at all or only partially resolved. In this connection, it seems appropriate to conclude international treaties aimed at regulating cooperation on specific (sectoral) issues: the legal status of the peoples of the Arctic, the development of mineral resources, the extraction of marine living resources and the protection of the environment.