The opening ceremony of the ‘Arctic: Territory of Dialogue’ booth was attended by Alexei Chekunkov, Minister for the Development of the Russian Far East and Arctic, State Duma Deputies Artur Chilingarov, Irina Yarovaya, Viacheslav Fetisov, as well as Ambassador-at-Large of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation and Chair of the Senior Arctic Officials, Arctic Council Nikolay Korchunov.

- Even today, the Arctic makes a huge contribution to the well-being of our country: it includes hydrocarbons from Yamal, fertilizers from the Kola Peninsula, metals from Norilsk, and diamonds from Yakutia. And if you look objectively at the Arctic's share of the federal budget and our GDP, it is absolutely disproportionate to the territory of our harsh, complicated region. If we look ahead, the projects and investments that have already been made to saturate the Northern Sea Route with freight traffic... I will give you one simple figure: in five years the value of goods that must pass through the Northern Sea Route will be around $100 billion a year. Therefore, from an economic perspective, the future well-being of Russia depends a great deal on the Arctic, said Alexei Chekunkov, Minister for the Development of the Russian Far East and Arctic, at the opening of the booth.

The event was also attended by representatives of regional authorities. Tatiana Logvinenko, Deputy Governor of the Nenets Autonomous District, noted that the dialogue about the problems and opportunities of the Arctic at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum is of great importance for the northern regions of Russia.

- Nenets District is situated completely in the Arctic zone. And, of course, opening a separate stand on the Arctic is very serious, significant and important for us. This is the platform where the problems of the Arctic, its territories and ours will be considered, in particular, the potential of the Arctic will be discussed, and this is the future of our region, said Tatiana Logvinenko.

The booth’s business program includes more than 15 events. Some of them will be held as part of the plan of Russia's chairmanship in the Arctic Council in 2021-2023.

Thus, one of the significant sessions of the stand will be ‘The Northern Sea Route: An International Transport Corridor.’ Participants will discuss the impact of this route on the economy of the Arctic zone of Russia, opportunities for the development of their own territories through the Northern Sea Route against the backdrop of sanctions pressure, as well as the prospects for strengthening partnerships with friendly countries.

- The Northern Sea Route is the national transport highway, and everything around it is Russia. There are different attitudes to the ways of cooperation in the Arctic, but we should reflect that we do not need

anyone's help: today a nuclear-powered icebreaker can deliver any cargo to any point in the Arctic at any time of the year, said State Duma deputy Artur Chilingarov.

The booth will also discuss the development of digital technologies, interaction during emergencies in the Arctic regions, and Arctic tourism. A lot of attention will be paid to investments in the Arctic.

More information is available at the link.