Cooperation between the Arctic Council and the Russian Federation on Environmental Issues: Problems of Development
The Arctic area of international cooperation is one of the priorities in modern foreign policy of the Russian Federation. In this regard, the Russia's cooperation in the field of environmental protection in the Arctic is of particular importance. The Arctic Council is the most effective political and legal mechanism for cooperation between the Russian Federation and other States of this region on environmental issues. With the aim to study the development of cooperation of Russian Federation with the countries of the Arctic Council on issues of environmental protection, the author has analyzed the various aspects of Russia’s interaction in the frame of international conferences with other Arctic States, as well as agreements and other international legal documents adopted at such conferences. Also mechanism of implementation of decisions taken in the framework of the Arctic Council in the domestic sphere of the Russian Federation was considered in present article. In order to conduct an effective realizing of tasks the author used the method of historical analysis for the study of Russia's participation in the formation of the Arctic Council, its role in the development of the Arctic Council, and international agreements concluded between the Arctic States with the active participation of the Russian Federation in their chronological sequence. Also the author was used the method of system analysis, which allowed to present the implementing circuit of international legal instruments of the Arctic Council be the federal executive authorities of the Russian Federation. According to the study of the development of cooperation between the Russian Federation and the Arctic Council, the author has made a conclusion that one of the main problems is to implement legal decisions of the Arctic Council in the national level. In the Russian Federation the responsibility and authority of some Federal Executive bodies in the sphere of implementation of decisions taken in the framework of the Arctic Council is stipulated at the legislative level, but the bodies is not fully specialized in the sphere of Arctic relations. Taking into account the special geopolitical importance of the Arctic region for the Russian Federation at the present time, it is reasonable to create a specialized body of the executive power.