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Russia, US to merge national parks in Bering Strait area

MOSCOW, January 29, /ITAR-TASS/. Russia’s and the United States’ national parks in the Bering Strait area will be symbolically merged. A memorandum of understanding between the governments of the two countries was drafted for this purpose, the press service of the Russian Ministry of National Resources reported.

Under the memorandum, the territory of cooperation comprises the Bering Strait area, including the transborder area within the limits of the Russian “Beringia” national park and those of the United States - the Bering land bridge area and Cape Krusenstern National Monument on Alaska. The document drafted jointly by Russia’s Ministry of Natural Resources and the US Department of State was referred to the Russian government to be endorsed.

The report of the press service says the memorandum is aimed at the protection of kinship, ethnic cultural habits and languages of the indigenous peoples and other local residents of the Chukchi Peninsula and Alaska, at the strengthening of bilateral cooperation in environmental protection, the study and monitoring of the environment and will attest to ties between the two continents and peoples. The sides also intend to cooperate in the development of ecological tourism. The draft memorandum says the parties will work out a joint action plan to be supplemented every year.

“The symbolic merging of the national parks in the Bering Strait transborder area will enable strengthening of cooperation of the two countries in the preservation of wild life, vegetation and ecosystems,” the press service quotes Russian Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Sergei Donskoi as saying.

Terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall

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