NEW DELHI, October 5. /TASS/. Russia will welcome the participation of Indian companies in the implementation of large energy projects in the Arctic region, President Vladimir Putin said at the closing session of the Russian-Indian business forum.

"Our country has been and will be a reliable energy supplier for the Indian economy," the Russian leader said.

He noted that joint projects in the field of supplies of liquefied natural gas are becoming of a strategic importance.

"The Prime Minister (of India) and I discussed this today: we will welcome it, if Indian partners join the work in the Arctic. This is a very promising, long-term work, very serious, designed for decades ahead, with good investments and good returns," the Russian President said. He stressed that, given the climate change, "the possibilities of using the Northern Sea Route are increasing." In this respect, Putin recalled that Russia has been building a fleet that will ensure "reliable supplies of liquefied natural gas to the global market."

The Northern Sea Route - is the main sea route in the Russian Arctic. The Russian ministry of transport forecasts cargo turnover along the Northern Sea Route by 2020 will grow tenfold to 65 million tonnes a year. The Route crosses seas of the Arctic Ocean (Kara, Laptev, East Siberian and Chukotka) and partially the Pacific Ocean (the Bering Sea). The Northern Sea Route from the Kara Gate to the Providence Bay is about 5,600km long. The distance between St. Petersburg to Vladivostok along the Northern Sea Route is more than 14,000 km, while the distance vessels have to cover by the Suez Canal is more than 23,000 km.