MOSCOW, April 22, 17:38 /ITAR-TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has suggested creating a unified system of naval bases in Russia’s Arctic.

Speaking at a meeting of the Security Council on Tuesday Putin underscored the need for enhancing the reliability of protection of Russia’s Arctic borders.

“This should be done in various ways, including the reinforcement of the border guard forces’ naval group. Alongside, steps must be taken to enhance military infrastructure. In particular, the point at issue is creation of a unified system of bases for surface ships and new generation submarines in our sector of the Arctic ,” Putin said.

Russia’s Arctic zone up to the year 2020

The president has asked the Russian government to think of how to implement a state programme for the social and economic development of Russia’s Arctic zone up to the year 2020.

“We need to think of how to fill it in with necessary resources sufficient for solving the tasks that we are facing. I would ask the government to start full-fledged financing of the aforesaid programme in 2017,” Putin said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin gave an instruction to outline an optimal economic model for development of the Northern Sea Route in the Arctic region. “It is needed to develop an optimal economic model of the Northern Sea Route to increase freight traffic to four million tonnes already by 2015,” Putin said adding that for this purpose it was needed to accelerate construction of ice-class ships, new nuclear-powered and diesel-powered icebreakers.

Putin urged to finalise creation of a modern infrastructure of navigation, communications, technical maintenance and emergency aid along the whole Northern Sea Route.

“One more task about which I have already said several times that we should make shipping companies sail profitably and conveniently under Russian flag so that such vessels in our jurisdiction will make the bulk of shipments in the Arctic,” the president noted.

He noted that Russian oil and gas production facilities, terminals and pipelines in Arctic must be reliably protected from terrorists and other potential threats.

The Russian president pointed out that Russia should keep in mind a dynamically changing situation in the world which is fraught with new risks, including in the Arctic. “It is also needed to reckon with a dynamically changing foreign political, social and economic situation in the world which is fraught with new risks and challenges to Russian national interests, including in the Arctic,” Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting of the Russian Security Council over fulfilment of Russian state policy in the Arctic in interests of national security on Tuesday.