Russia supports restoring the comprehensive military and political dialogue of Arctic states and suggests establishing contacts between military experts from these states, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at The Arctic: Territory of Dialogue 5th International Arctic Forum.

"We are in favor of resuming a full-scale military and political dialogue between the Arctic states as a way to promote confidence and mutual understanding and prevent any type of escalation. Annual meetings of chiefs of general staffs from the Arctic Council countries were an effective mechanism for maintaining regional stability. Regrettably, they have been frozen since 2014," Lavrov said.

"In order to resume joint work, we, as a first step, suggest establishing contacts at the level of military experts from the Arctic states," RIA Novosti quoted him as saying.

The Arctic: Territory of Dialogue 5th International Arctic Forum was held in St. Petersburg on April 9 and 10. The State Commission for the Development of the Arctic convened for a meeting on April 9.