Speaking at the conference “the Arctic – Territory of Dialogue” in Moscow today, Putin highlighted the importance of cooperation and environmentally-friendly developments in the Arctic.
The premier stressed “not one industrial project in the Russian Arctic should be developed without the strictest possible environmental considerations”. -The price of the Arctic question is much higher than the billions of barrels of oil or gas which we can produce [in the area], and about which so many people in so many countries now talk so much about, Putin underlined, a transcript of the speech reads.
–With an irresponsible relation to the Arctic today, we could tomorrow get not global advantages, but global problems, he added.
He admitted that the Soviet Union had tended to have a “consumer- attitude” towards the Arctic, and that the development of towns and industrial complexes in the Arctic had not always been economically, nor environmentally, well founded.
International cooperation
Russia has three main priorities for the region, Putin said. First of all, we are talking about creating good quality comfortable living conditions, he said. Secondly, new economic growth zones must be supported and major domestic and foreign investments attracted. Thirdly, “serious sums” must be invested in science and environmentally-friendly infrastructure, he added.
The government leader underlined that he is confident that the Arctic region is bound to serve as a region of united efforts and true partnership in economy, security, science, education and in the protection of the region’s cultural heritage. He also said that he is happy that the country’s partners share the same position and especially highlighted the role of the Barents Euro-Arctic Cooperation and the Arctic Council as platforms for regional cooperation.
Not an area of conflict
The prime minister agreed that ”serious geopolitical and economical interests intesect in the Arctic”, but expressed confidence that “all questions, including the ones about the continental shelf, can be solved in a spirit of partnership”. -The futuristic prognosis about an upcoming battle for the Arctic has nothing to do with reality, he stressed, adding that “all questions can be solved in the spirit of partnership”.
Putin also said that “we are carefully observing the developments in the region, elaborate responsible prognosis and clearly see that the majority of such alarming scenarios about the Arctic are not based in reality”.
He also maintained that the Russian-Norwegian agreement on the delimitation of the Barents Sea and the Arctic Ocean, signed in Murmansk last week, illustrates the spirit of partnership and compromises now prevalent in the region.
Read more: Norway and Russia sign maritime delimitation agreement
The conference “the Arctic – Territory of Dialogue” includes a number of prominent representatives of research and expert institutions. Several foreign guests and experts attend the event, among them General Secretary of the Norwegian Barents Secretariat, Rune Rafaelsen.
Still, unsolved issues in the Arctic remain abundant. Key areas of the Arctic shelf remain disputed by several of the Arctic coastal states. That was evident also during Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Lawrence Cannon’s visit to Moscow last week.
