ST. PETERSBURG, April 9. /TASS/. Moscow is willing to provide assistance to all vessels using the Northeast Passage (NEP) to cross the Arctic Ocean, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told the ‘Arctic: Territory of Dialogue’ 5th International Arctic Forum on Tuesday.

"Modesty aside, Russia possesses unique expertise in operating at high latitudes and we are ready to provide support to all the ships that sail via the Northeast Passage," he said.

Lavrov added that Russia is developing port infrastructure and navigation and hydrographic capabilities of the passage, as well as the search and rescue potential.

"And the main thing is that we are assuming the responsibility to ensure safety and utmost caution towards this region’s exceptionally vulnerable ecosystem," the chief diplomat pointed out.

The Northeast Passage is the main shipping route in the Russian Arctic. It proceeds along the northern coast of Russia and traverses the seas of the Arctic Ocean (the Barents Sea, the Kara Sea, the Laptev Sea, the East Siberian Sea, the Chukchi Sea, and the Bering Sea). The route is 5,600 km long from the Kara Strait to Providence Bay.

St. Petersburg is hosting the ‘Arctic: Territory of Dialogue’ 5th International Arctic Forum on April 9-10. ‘The Arctic. The Ocean of Opportunities’ is this year’s theme at the forum. Roscongress is the official organizer, while TASS is a primary information partner and the official photo hosting provider.