DUDINKA /Krasnoyarsk Region/, July 14. /TASS/. Ensuring the Arctic's comprehensive development is a key, historical purpose of the Transarctic Transport Corridor project, said Presidential Aide and head of the Russian Maritime Collegium Nikolay Patrushev.

Agenda of the meeting in Dudinka, which he chaired, featured issues related to development of Arctic seaports Dickson and Dudinka, as well as of inland waterways to build up traffic along the Transarctic Corridor and to serve needs of the Northern Supplies program.

"In the growing geopolitical tensions and confrontation with the collective West countries, ensuring Russia's free access to the World Ocean is of particular importance. For this, we need to strengthen the country's transport framework and form a seamless transport system by having the interconnected and uninterrupted functioning of sea, rail, road and inland waterways," Patrushev said.

He pointed to the importance of transport corridors that ensure safe navigation and guaranteed access to countries with which Russia has been developing trade actively.

"The Transarctic Transport Corridor will be one of such corridors. Countries friendly to Russia demonstrate significant interest in developing shipment along this Arctic route. For example, China is actively investing in Arctic transportation. India has eyed linking Vladivostok-Chennai Maritime Corridor with an international container transit through the Northern Sea Route, which is part of the Transarctic Corridor," the presidential aide added.

The transport route's development should be an end-to-end project to ensure the Russian Arctic's comprehensive development and connections among Arctic territories, he explained. "This is its key, historical purpose," he stressed.