Russia Gives Priority to Development of Arctic Territories: Putin

 / Go to the mediabankRussian Arctic National Park / Go to the mediabankMOSCOW (Sputnik) – Russia prioritizes and seeks broader international cooperation for the development of territories in the Arctic and research activities in the Antarctic, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday.”Our country has always given priority to harmonious and comprehensive development of the Arctic, enhancement of our research activities in the Antarctic. We seek to strengthen international cooperation in these regions of our planet and implement joint programs in different spheres,” Putin said in a telegram to participants of the international forum Days of Arctic and Antarctic in Moscow.The president touted the new milestone that Russia set this year in developing the Arctic sending a state-of-the-art expedition. The world’s first ice-resistant self-propelled platform called North Pole sailed from the northwestern Russian city of Murmansk in September for a climate change-related study of permafrost in the central Arctic.”And the work will surely continue in the Antarctic. A new wintering complex of Antarctic station Vostok is being rapidly build and it will give our scientists a great opportunity to conduct comprehensive research in the White Continent relying on the modern basis,” Putin stated.In September, Putin said that the Arctic would play a bigger role in Russia’s future and, therefore, the country would redouble engagement with its northernmost regions.

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