ST. PETERSBURG, SEPTEMBER 1. /TASS/. The Atlantic and Arctic are Russian maritime policy priorities, Security Council Secretary Nikolay Patrushev said on Tuesday.
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"As for national maritime policy applied to particular regions, the Atlantic and Arctic have been given priority," he said, lecturing at the State Marine Technical University of St. Petersburg (SMTU).
Priorities include better Black Sea Fleet capabilities in Crimea and on Krasnodar territory coast alongside developing infrastructure facing the general Atlantic direction, the official added, noting, "There is a need for sufficient standing of a Russian naval force in the Mediterranean".
In the Arctic, it's important to modernise seaport infrastructure along the Northern Sea Route, adapting seaports to conditions and requirements for basing Russian naval ships, he said.
"Drivers of national maritime policy for the Arctic are the need for access to the Arctic for Russia's Navy, resources of the exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, growing importance of the Northern Sea Route for a steady increase in security of the Russian Federation and the decisive part the Northern Fleet plays in the defence of the area," the council chief told his audience.