YAKUTSK, February 16. /TASS/. Russia's Arkhangelsk and Tomsk Regions, and Mongolia's Uvurkhangai Aimag confirmed their intentions to join the Northern Forum international organization of northern regions in 2024, the organization's Executive Director Vladimir Vasiliev told reporters.

"We expect that in 2024 the number of the organization's member-regions will grow from 12 to 15," he said. "The Arkhangelsk and Tomsk Regions, as well as the Uvurkhangai Aimag of Mongolia have confirmed they will join the organization this year."

Mongolia plays the role of a buffer zone between Russia and China, he continued. "This development of the Northern Forum will build up the cooperation between Russia, Mongolia and China. It will be useful for these countries, taking into account future and current cross-border projects. On February 25-26, we intend to take part in an investment forum, initiated by the governor of Mongolia's Uvurkhangai Aimag. An agreement on the region's joining the Northern Forum will be signed on the sidelines of the forum," he added.

The Northern Forum is an international non-governmental organization uniting northern regions' governors. It is viewed as an instrument to expand non-political dialogue between governors of Arctic and northern regions in different countries, as well as leaders of municipalities and organizations.

The Northern Forum unites regions of the Russian Federation (the Jewish Autonomous Region, the Kamchatka, Krasnoyarsk, Kolyma, Nenets Autonomous Regions, Yakutia, Khabarovsk, Khanty-Mansi, Chukotka, Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Regions), as well as Alaska (the USA), Gangwon Province (the Republic of Korea), and nine business partners from Russia, Iceland, Norway, the USA, and Japan. Until 2013, the Northern Forum's secretariat was located in Anchorage (Alaska), and currently it is in Yakutsk.