Murkowski calls for Arctic priorities

Now is a critical time for international relations in the Arctic, said U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, in her keynote speech April 28 at a conference on U.S. strategic interests in the High North.

“It has been identified that there are two paths that we can go down in regards to international relations — one is a path of competition and conflict, and the other is one of cooperation and diplomacy,” Murkowski said. “I believe the decision on which path we ultimately take will require dynamic leadership.”

A high priority issue needing leadership is the U.S. ratification of the Convention of the Law of the Sea Treaty, the United Nations convention that provides a framework for international agreements on jurisdiction over extended areas of Arctic Ocean continental shelf, Murkowski said. Ratification of the treaty has remained stalled since its submission to the U.S. Senate in 1994, but without first acceding to the treaty the United States cannot submit its data regarding its extended continental shelf to the commission established under the treaty, she said.

Murkowski said that she thinks that, although some posturing is going on over national jurisdiction in the Arctic Ocean, actual actions suggest that Arctic nations are seeking cooperative solutions to Arctic issues. However, it is important that nations which do not have Arctic Ocean coastlines but which have interests in the Arctic be included in discussions about the region’s future, Murkowski said, praising Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s support for this position at a recent Arctic summit.

Murkowski also mentioned some U.S. Arctic initiatives that she has been supporting, including a study into the feasibility of developing a deepwater Arctic port for the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Coast Guard; a USCG assessment of its Arctic infrastructure needs; the refurbishment of a USCG icebreaker; and a study into the need for new U.S. icebreakers.

—Alan Bailey