The arctic council: main development milestones (to the twenty-fifth anniversary of the council's founding)

The article examines the formation and development of the Arctic Council (AC; Council) from 1996 to 2021. It is noted that the Council was created as an intergovernmental "high-level forum" for the development of cooperation between the Arctic states, coordination of their actions in the interests of ensuring sustainable development of the region, protecting the environment, preserving the culture, traditions, and languages of the indigenous peoples of the North. The status, structure, and organisation of the Council's activities are characterised. It is emphasised that the Arctic Council does not deal with military security issues. There are six indigenous peoples' organisations and 13 observer states that participate permanently in AC. In the second part of the article, the author analyses Canada, the USA, Finland, Iceland, Russia, Norway, Denmark, and Sweden chairmanship results in the Arctic Council (from 1996 to the present day). Revealing the issues of continuity in the chairmanship of the AC founding states, the author focuses on new approaches of countries in the exploration and development of the Arctic through the activities of working groups. In contrast, joining the AC of intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations is investigated for the first time. The author notes the growth of the authority and prestige of the Arctic Council in the Arctic arena of international relations. The preparation of the Russian Federation for the chairmanship of the AC (2021-2023), its program, and main events are analysed.