ST. PETERSBURG, June 6. /TASS/. The number of business residents in preferential areas of the Russian Federation's Arctic Zone is planned to double by 2030 to 1,500. The development of the Northern Sea Route (NSR) should be an impetus for the growth, Nikolai Zapryagaev, Director General of the Corporation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic said in an interview with TASS at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).
"By 2030, this figure will double at least. Why "at least"? Because the Arctic is a special territory. It seems inaccessible, difficult, but it does offer opportunities," he said.
Right now, about 800 business residents are working in the Russian Arctic.
According to him, the corporation has been waiting for a plan for further development of the Northern Sea Route, as the route "already gives impetus not only to the Arctic territories, but to the entire country."
"The Northern Sea Route will give a certain impetus to development of the electric power industry and to mining projects. There are quite serious prerequisites for further building up of work with investors," he added.
The Northern Sea Route is a shipping route in the Russian Arctic that runs along Russia's northern shores in seas of the Arctic Ocean (the Barents, Kara, Laptev, East Siberian, Chukchi and Bering Seas). It connects the Russian Federation's European and Far Eastern ports as well as the mouths of navigable Siberian rivers into a single transport system. NSR's length from the Kara Gate Strait to the Providence Bay is 5,600 km.
The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) runs on June 5-8. This year’s theme is "The Formation of New Areas of Growth as the Cornerstone of a Multipolar World." Scheduled events include meetings for small and medium-sized businesses, creative industries, the SPIEF Youth Day, as well as the Drug Security, SPIEF Academy and SPIEF Junior forums. SPIEF is organized by the Roscongress Foundation. TASS is the event's information partner.