MOSCOW, March 19. Participants in the Arctic: Territory of Dialogue international forum in St. Petersburg will discuss support for small and medium businesses in the region, the event’s organizer, Roscongress, said.

The business program "includes a special session on the development of small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) in the Russian Arctic regions," the organizer’s press service said in a statement, published on Monday.

"The session ‘Small Business, Big Potential’ is supported by the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation. The participants of the event are to discuss the particularities of running small and medium businesses in the Arctic region, which should be considered when envisioning state policies to support it," the press service said.

"The competitiveness of small businesses in the Arctic depends on many macroeconomic and infrastructural factors, and success here comes only through consolidation of efforts from all relevant ministries and departments, as well as with the support of major businesses," the organizer quoted Anton Kobyakov, Advisor to the Russian President, as saying. "With this, the development of SMEs is significant for the region, and the state is to develop support measures, improve infrastructure and logistics capabilities, and generate international business projects."

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 event was organized for the first time in 2010. The 5th ‘Arctic: Territory of Dialogue’ International Arctic Forum will take place in St. Petersburg on April 9-10, 2019. TASS is the forum’s general information partner.