Speaking at the opening ceremony of The Arctic: Territory of Dialogue international forum, US Ambassador to Russia John Tefft said that resolving the Arctic's problems requires the international community to take a creative approach.

"The Arctic faces serious challenges of a social, economic and environmental nature, as well as potential militarization. Big change is taking place in the Arctic environment, and these changes demand from us a creative approach to managing and using the Arctic's resources," Tefft said.

In particular, he noted that the rising temperature in the Arctic Ocean made it possible to develop tourism in the region. However, he added that  this must be done in such a way  that environmental regulations are strictly observed.

Tefft said that non-Arctic region countries show interest in the region's resources  as well, and this requires the Arctic region governments to "formulate a policy that will make it possible for other countries to benefit from the Arctic's resources too".  

"Compared to many other parts of the world, the Arctic remains a peaceful and politically stable place marked by a high level of cooperation among the relevant governments," he said.