Northern Bloc: Russia stands for equal cooperation in the Arctic
International cooperation in the Arctic is currently going through difficult times due to the West's desire for confrontation with Russia. This was stated by Vladimir Putin on March 27 at the plenary session of the VI International Arctic Forum "The Arctic — the territory of dialogue". At the same time, the Russian Federation does not refuse to work with interested countries and advocates equal cooperation in the northern latitudes. Today, Russia's tasks in the Arctic should have a historical scale, with a view to decades. Therefore, the country needs its own merchant fleet for navigation along the Northern Sea Route. In addition, a new generation of icebreakers is to be commissioned. The government has been instructed to work out the issue of building new shipyards in the Russian Federation. How the Arctic will develop in the coming years and what Vladimir Putin thinks about Trump's desire to annex Greenland is in the Izvestia article.
Russia's international cooperation in the Arctic
Vladimir Putin arrived in Murmansk on March 27. The president began his trip by laying flowers at the monument to the Defenders of the Arctic on the Green Cape Hill, which was erected in 1974.
Russian President Vladimir Putin at the flower-laying ceremony at the monument to the Defenders of the Soviet Arctic during the Great Patriotic War in Murmansk
The central part of the program was the speech of the head of state at the International Arctic Forum. This event has been held since 2010 and is considered the largest platform for discussing the problems and prospects of the Arctic region's development.
The importance of the Arctic for the whole world is growing. Unfortunately, the geopolitical struggle for positions in this region is also intensifying, Vladimir Putin said. The Head of State cited the example of the US claims to Greenland.
"Everyone knows about this well, about the US plans to annex Greenland. But you know, this may surprise someone only at first glance, and it is a deep mistake to believe that this is some kind of extravagant talk by the new American administration. Nothing like that. In fact, the United States of America had such plans back in the 60s of the 19th century. Even then, the American administration was considering the possibility of annexing Greenland and Iceland, but this idea did not receive congressional support at that time," Vladimir Putin said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks at the plenary session of the VI International Arctic Forum "The Arctic – the Territory of Dialogue"
The United States will continue to systematically promote its geostrategic, military-political and economic interests in the Arctic. International cooperation in the northern latitudes is currently going through difficult times, as a number of countries have embarked on a course of confrontation and severed ties with Russia, Vladimir Putin said. For example, the mechanism of the Arctic Council, which was created for cooperation in the environmental sphere and responding to emergencies in the Arctic Circle, has degraded due to the choice of Western states, the president said.
Russia will not allow encroachments on its sovereignty, and will reliably protect national interests by maintaining peace and stability in the Arctic.
— Of course, we are only concerned about the fact that NATO countries as a whole are increasingly designating the Far North as a springboard for possible conflicts, and are practicing the use of troops in these conditions, including by their recruits, Finland and Sweden, with whom, by the way, there were no problems at all until recently. They create it themselves for some reason. What for? It's completely unclear. But, nevertheless, we will proceed from what we have, we will react to all this," the president said.
Russia is ready to implement projects in the Arctic with friendly countries: for example, Belarus, China, the UAE and other countries are already showing interest in developing the Arctic's transport infrastructure, the president said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin at a meeting on the development of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation and the Arctic Transport Corridor
Further cooperation in this region is possible with Western countries if they show interest, and "the time for such projects will definitely come," Vladimir Putin believes. Russia remains interested in cooperating on regional issues with all those who are ready to cooperate, he said.
What transport routes will be developed in the North
The head of state devoted most of his speech to the development of the Arctic. It accounts for 7% of Russia's GDP and about 11% of exports.
Russia already has the largest icebreaking fleet in the world, but it needs to introduce a new generation of icebreakers, including nuclear ones, in order to strengthen its position in this area.
On March 27, Vladimir Putin launched the launch of the new Perm fourth-generation Russian nuclear submarine. This is the first multi-purpose submarine armed with Zircon hypersonic cruise missiles.
"Such submarines and ships will strengthen the power of all our fleets, strengthen the security of Russia's maritime borders and the Northern Sea Route, and ensure the solution of tasks to protect national interests in various areas of the world's oceans, including in the Arctic zone, which is becoming of crucial economic, logistical, and transport importance in the face of escalating global competition," he said. the president at the descent ceremony.
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends the ceremony of the ceremonial launching of the new Perm nuclear-powered submarine via videoconference
Also, as part of the work program, the President visited the Arkhangelsk nuclear submarine.
Russia's tasks in the Arctic must have a historical scale, with a view to decades and centuries, so it is important to implement the Transarctic Corridor project, a route that connects Europe and West Africa across the Atlantic Ocean. Vladimir Putin instructed the government to approve its financial and economic development model by August 1. For the development of the Transarctic route, it is necessary to unlock the potential of the Arctic's inland waterways.: the northern rivers Lena, Ob and Yenisei.
The key section of the Transarctic transport Corridor should be the Northern Sea Route, which will connect St. Petersburg with Vladivostok.
In addition, the Russian Federation needs its own merchant fleet in the Arctic, including cargo and rescue vessels that will provide transportation both in the northern seas and along the inland waterways of the Arctic regions. "We must admit that only domestic shipbuilding capacities are currently insufficient for these purposes," he said.
The President also instructed to work out the issue of building new modern high-tech shipyards in Russia. He asked the government to support domestic shipbuilding and ship repair enterprises.
In the sphere of other transport sectors of the Russian Federation, the Arctic Railway testing ground is to be developed. This will make it possible to unload the Trans-Siberian Railway and effectively use the sea routes, Vladimir Putin said. Siberia and the Urals should be provided with railway access to the Arctic.
The Ministry of Regional Development told Izvestia that the Far Eastern and Arctic regions are ready to participate in the creation of new shipyards and the construction of an ice-class fleet, as well as the implementation of other instructions from the head of state.
Large-scale geological exploration in the Arctic will also continue, the president said. The Russian Federation intends to develop mining in the Arctic, including the extraction of rare earth metals.
— Today, deposits of oil and gas, metals, and other minerals are being developed in the Russian Arctic. We will continue large-scale geological exploration here, primarily within the framework of the federal project "Geology: the Rebirth of a Legend". At the same time, the task is to use a powerful resource base to open enterprises in the Arctic regions with deep processing of raw materials, while preserving the unique nature of the Arctic, and create high-value—added industries in oil and gas chemistry and rare earth metals," he said.
The President proposed to set up a permafrost monitoring center and involve leading scientific institutions in the research. There are also plans to create a scientific and educational station "Snowflake" in the Arctic, which will help scientists to practice new green technologies.
Why is Arctic tourism popular?
The President did not ignore social issues either. He instructed the government to develop a 10-year plan to solve the problem of emergency housing in northern Russia by September 1, 2025. According to the president, this is a very acute problem for Northerners. It is also worth stimulating the service sector in the Arctic zone, including with preferential loans.
The President touched upon the same topics at a meeting on the development of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation and the Arctic Transport Corridor. Russia faces major challenges in the Arctic: it needs not only to strengthen its transport and logistics infrastructure, but also to create comfortable living conditions. It is important that residents "have interesting, good, paid jobs, modern education and healthcare systems, so that living in the Arctic is truly comfortable and attractive," the head of state stressed. The Murmansk Region now serves as an example for all Russian Arctic regions, as it is developing dynamically and steadily, the president noted.
On the same day, Vladimir Putin got acquainted with the presentation of master plans for the main settlements of the Arctic zone of Russia. The list includes 16 agglomerations located in nine regions: from Kemsko-Belomorskaya in Karelia to Novy Urengoy in Yamal. It is planned to allocate more than 3 trillion rubles for their implementation. To improve the quality of life, there are a number of programs here: preferential mortgages, a single presidential subsidy, and renovation of closed administrative-territorial units.
Russian President Vladimir Putin at a meeting on the development of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation and the Arctic Transport Corridor
The President supported the request of the Governor of the Murmansk Region, Andrey Chibis, to extend the renovation program of the park, which is currently scheduled until 2026.
— I am separately asking the government to extend the program of renovation of military camps, closed administrative-territorial formations in the Arctic, where our soldiers and officers and their families live. I want to emphasize that this is, of course, due to the strengthening of our military component in this region, and the number of military personnel here will grow," Vladimir Putin said.
Such a renovation program, he noted, should be in effect at least until 2030 with an annual amount of financial support from the federal budget of at least 10 billion rubles.
Vladimir Putin instructed the Cabinet of Ministers and the regional authorities to open the Arctic to mass tourism and support initiatives for its development.
"More than a million tourists visit the Arctic every year to explore its landscapes, see the northern Lights, go Arctic fishing, go dog sledding, or make a trip to the Arctic archipelagos," Vladimir Putin said.
To do this, we need to develop everything from the repair and construction of highways to the development of aviation services. For example, airports in the Arctic and the Far North need to be upgraded, so 16 airfields, including small ones, will be updated as part of a national profile project.
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