Abstract
The Arctic policy and strategy of the Russian Federation (RF) has chronologically emerged in four phases. The first phase was realized within the framework of the post-Cold War conditions. During this period, the RF tried to conduct its Arctic policy through regional and international cooperation mechanisms. The second phase covered the coordination process of the RF’s policies towards the Arctic region, which initiated in the 2000s. At this phase, the RF elevated its socio-economic interests in the Arctic region into a national security matter. The third phase started to manifest itself with the geopolitical transformation that emerged after the annexation of Crimea. Due to its problems with the West, the RF started to prioritize the Eastern hemisphere in its foreign policy. In this period, it is possible to say that the Arctic strategy of the RF matured gradually and became complementary and constant. The fourth phase developed in response to the new international conditions emerged after 2020. In this process, the RF consolidated its geoeconomic and geostrategic interests in the Arctic region. New cooperation mechanisms were established with China, particularly in the transportation and energy fields. Initiatives such as the Arctic Silk Road reveal the geoeconomic and geostrategic scope of these mechanisms. In this article, RF’s Arctic strategy is analyzed on the basis of this chronological progress. The question of the dimensions and priorities within which the RF’s Arctic strategy emerged constitutes the basic construct of the article. In this context, the article emphasizes the importance of the periodic conditions that paved the way for the formulation of RF’s Arctic strategy.
Keywords: Arktik, Rusya Federasyonu, Çin, Kutup İpek Yolu, Jeoekonomi, Jeostrateji
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