ST. PETERSBURG, APRIL 9. /TASS/. Since 2012, more than 80,000 tonnes of refuse from the past decades were removed and scrapped in the cleanup operation of the Arctic, and in the coming years another six large waste sites will be eliminated, Russian President Vladimir Putin told a plenary meeting of the 5th International Arctic Forum on Tuesday.
"We have been cleaning up the Arctic territories for a few years already and since 2012 we have removed and scrapped more than 80,000 tonnes of waste. In the next few years, as part of the ‘Clean Environment’ federal project we will eliminate six large dump sites in the Arkhangelsk, Murmansk, Karelia, Yakutia and Nenets Autonomous Regions," Putin said.
The head of state also pointed out that Russia has plans in store to purify the waters of Kola Bay or 200 square km in total.
President Putin recalled that it is an important challenge to "ensure harmony between economic development and preserving of the Arctic's environment and saving its unique and fragile biosystem."
St. Petersburg is hosting the Arctic: Territory of Dialogue 5th International Arctic Forum on April 9-10. ‘The Arctic. An 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.