MURMANSK, March 22. /TASS/. The dialogue between Arctic countries may be restored, Russia’s Minister for Development of the Far East and Arctic Alexey Chekunov said.

"I believe, the Arctic states will mostly be determined to continue the dialogue, because the Arctic <...> has lived over different periods. <...> Now there are climate processes that will affect the whole Earth; the Arctic is a center of mineral reserves, bio resources, scientific and transport interests. It is most irresponsible to neglect these interests under the influence of any momentary emotions or aspects. I expect that this dialog will be restored, configured, and we will continue it," he told TASS.

Russia has sufficient partners to continue the Arctic development, he added.

Earlier, the Arctic Council’s seven member-countries refused to participate in meetings, chaired by Russia and organized in its territory.

The Arctic attracts attention from the entire world, the minister continued.

"China has declared it is a near-Arctic state; and even the southern countries like India and Singapore show a high interest in the Arctic. <...> The laws of business are very simple - first come, first to receive dividends. Those, who presently suspend effective dialogues on the Arctic due to emotions or under pressure from external forces, will simply be excluded from future interesting projects related to the Arctic’s development, to transport in the Arctic. We have enough partners who are interested in creating a serious, alternative transport route across the Arctic and who are for responsible, joint development of the Arctic, unlike the unfriendly countries that unilaterally suspend or refuse at this moment from participating in the dialogue," the minister said.

International Arctic forum’s future

According to the organizing committee of the 6th international Arctic forum - Arctic: Territory of Dialogue, which had been planned for April 11-13, the agenda will be discussed at upcoming events during Russia’s chairing the Arctic Council to 2023.

"The international Arctic form was an event of Russia’s chairing the Arctic Council. We continue the work on all the events, and the topics, we planned to discuss during the forum in St. Petersburg in April, will be discussed at other platforms of the Arctic Council without any damage to the quality. <…> We will bring the Arctic forum’s topics to the Arctic Council’s various platforms, and we will hope to hold the international Arctic form next year like we, having dropped 2020, organized a twice interesting Eastern Economic Forum in 2021. So, the international Arctic forum will take place in 2023," the minister said.

According to Anton Kobyakov, adviser to the Russian president, and Executive Secretary of the Organizing Committee for the Preparation and Provision of Russia's chairmanship in the Arctic Council, the current approaches, which representatives of the Arctic countries have demonstrated, "hinder the development of cooperation in the region." Russia however expresses its readiness to resume the dialogue in the interests of Arctic residents, to ensure sustainable social and economic development and environmental protection. According to Deputy Prime Minister and the president’s envoy to the Far Eastern Federal District, Chairman of the Organizing Committee Yuri Trutnev, despite the forum’s changed format, the authorities and businesses will continue to discuss the current agenda of the Arctic territories in the interests of all Arctic countries and to develop mechanisms for peaceful, stable and sustainable development in the northern latitudes within the upcoming events within the chairmanship term. He stressed that the Russian Federation, as the Council’s chair, is aware of its responsibility for the sustainable development of the Arctic region, and thus all the activities of the chairmanship will be carried out.

The forum’s agenda, which will be discussed at other events, includes five thematic blocks: Economic Development, Comfortable Living Conditions in the Arctic, Logistics Development in the Arctic, Ecology and Climate in the Arctic, and Science and Education". According to the Arctic Council’s Chairman of the Senior Officials Committee, the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Ambassador-at-Large Nikolay Korchunov, the Russian chairmanship will be re-focused to solve the national task to develop Russian northern territories with a balanced approach to social, economic and environmental issues.

"Over the 500 years of the Arctic development, nobody has managed even to approach our perception of the North, our opportunities in the North, our resources in the North. That’s how we will continue. We are a northern country and thus the Arctic is a truly Russian matter. We won’t falter," Minister Alexey Chekunov said in conclusion.

The international Arctic form, which was due in St. Petersburg on April 11-12, 2022, since the year 2010 has been a biggest platform to discuss with foreign counterparts current problems and future of the Arctic Region’s development. The forum has taken place in Moscow, Arkhangelsk, Salekhard and St. Petersburg.

The Arctic Council is a leading intergovernmental forum for promoting cooperation, coordination and interaction between the Arctic’s states, indigenous peoples and residents with the purpose of common solutions to "Arctic" issues, including sustainable development and environmental protection in the region. The members are Denmark (together with Greenland and the Faroe Islands), Iceland, Canada, Norway, the US, Finland, Sweden and Russia. Russia chairs the Arctic Council from 2021 through to 2023.