NARYAN-MAR /Nenets Autonomous District/, August 6 (Itar-Tass) —— Further development of transport infrastructure in Russia’s Arctic zone from the point of view of the national security will be the key topic of a meeting, which Russia’s Secretary of the Security Council Nikolai Patrushev will chair on Saturday.
The meeting will discuss development of transport infrastructure in the Arctic zone, of air routes via the North Pole and will analyse the Northern Sea Route’s development.
The meeting will feature presidential envoys to the North-Western, Urals, Siberian and Far East Districts, head of regions, and ministers of transport, of regional development, of defence, of nature, interior, economic development, EMERCOM, the Federal Security Service, the Customs Service and other authorities, as well as representatives of the Arctic Council’s member-countries.
On the same day, an international conference “By Northern Route to Strategic Stability and Equal Partnership in the Arctic” will open on board the Yamal icebreaker. The conference will continue its work till August 11, and the icebreaker will cover the route from the Varandei Port to the Tiksi Port.
“The main objective of the conference is to confirm Russia’s compliance with norms of international law during implementation of national priorities in the Arctic, which are based on Russia’s state policies in the Arctic to 2020, which had been approved at the Security Council’s meeting in 2008, as well as to improve international cooperation in the region and to discuss commercial projects and initiatives in using the Northern Sea Route, which may be of interest to foreign investors, as well as projects of social and economic development of Russia’s part of the Arctic,” a source at the Security Council said.
Participants in the conference will discuss possible directions of cooperation between countries of the Arctic region, security in the Arctic, further development of the special regime of rational use of natural resources and of environment in the Arctic, and organisation of a united system for forecast and prevention of emergencies in the region, as well as international, legal, economic and other issues related to transportation along the Northern Sea Route.
Russia’s EMERCOM will demonstrate a practical part of exercise to prevent and overcome emergency situations on the North Sea Route.