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Putin to participate in annual Arctic forum in St. Petersburg

The 5th ‘Arctic: Territory of Dialogue’ International Arctic Forum will take place in St. Petersburg on April 9-10

MOSCOW, February 1. /TASS/. Russia’s President Vladimir Putin will participate in the 5th International Forum - Arctic: Territory of Dialogue, due in St. Petersburg on April 9 and 10, the forum’s organizer, the Roscongress Foundation, told TASS on Friday.

"The main theme of the upcoming Forum is ‘The Arctic. An Ocean of Opportunities’," the organizers said in a press release. "The business program will consist of three sections: ‘Coastal Territories’, ‘The Open Ocean’, and ‘Sustainable Development’. The central event will be the plenary session attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin."

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According to the president’s Advisor Anton Kobyakov, the event’s program will cover the entire spectrum of the Arctic regions’ development.

"Experts invited to take part in the Forum’s sessions and discussions will devote attention to both the current state of affairs and the immediate prospects for using these territories to develop industry, energy, construction, shipping, tourism, education, research, and other sectors," the press service quoted him as saying. "I am certain that the topics raised at this international discussion platform will provide an impetus for the further development of the Arctic and the full use of the enormous opportunities offered by this region."

Russian Presidential Aide Igor Levitin told the forum organizers’ meeting on Friday about the importance of inviting representatives of the Indian government and businesses to participate in the event "to discuss issues concerning development of trade and economic relations on an international scale as a part of the project to develop the North-South International Transport Corridor," the press release reads.

Topics for discussions

The meeting also featured Deputy Minister for the Far East’s Development Alexander Krutikov, who stressed the agenda would include presentation of new "preferences for companies investing in projects in the Arctic region."

The working group meeting paid special attention to a proposal, made by the President’s Envoy on International Cooperation in the Arctic and Antarctica Artur Chilingarov, to hold a special session, called ‘Researchers Dialogue,’ on sidelines of the International Arctic Forum, which would be devoted to international scientific research cooperation in the Arctic. The event would bring together leading Russian and foreign experts, working on this subject. "The concept presented today serves as a well-developed foundation for creating a comprehensive business program that will enable us to establish new constructive contacts with the international community," the press service quoted him as saying.

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"During the Forum, we are organizing the work of Trans-Arctic 19 scientific expedition on board the Academician Treshnikov scientific research vessel," he continued. "The North Pole 41 annual scientific expedition, which will begin in September 2020, will also be presented at the Forum." The expedition will attract 23 research institutions from the Russian Academy of Sciences and other agencies, it will favor implementation of more than 60 fundamental and applied research projects, he added.

Russia’s Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov will host a meeting of the Industry and Technology Development working group of the State Commission for Arctic Development.

The United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) will participate in the forum. "The Corporation and its enterprises traditionally take part in the ‘Arctic: Territory of Dialogue’ Forum," USC’s President Alexey Rakhmanov said. "The Forum is not only an opportunity for a business dialogue, but also a platform for drawing attention to key aspects of the development of the shipbuilding industry in Russia."

The Northern Sea Route’s Directorate has initiated an event, dubbed Prospects for the Northern Sea Route’s Development, which will take place on April 7-8 on board the 50 Let Pobedy nuclear icebreaker in real navigation conditions in the Kara Sea’s Oka Bay as a part of the Forum program.

About the forum

The International Arctic Forum - Arctic: Territory of Dialogue - is a key platform for discussing the Arctic region’s problems and development at the international level. The 5th ‘Arctic: Territory of Dialogue’ International Arctic Forum will take place in St. Petersburg on April 9-10, 2019. The first forum took place in 2010, and later on it was organized in 2011, 2013 and 2017.

The organizer, the Roscongress Foundation, is a socially oriented development institution and a major organizer of international conventions, exhibitions and public events.

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