Head of the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East and Arctic Alexei Chekunkov held an open lecture for students at the RUSSIA EXPO

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Alexei Chekunkov, Minister for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic, delivered an open lecture entitled "Development of the Russian Arctic - New Economy, State Priority and Historical Mission". The event was attended by more than 200 students from Moscow universities.

"In my Soviet childhood it was said that the pride of our country and the things for which the whole world respects and knows us are the atom, space and ballet. Today, in the future Russia, the Arctic and the northern economy are definitely becoming part of this lineup. The Russian Arctic is important for the whole world. It is the kitchen of the world's weather, a treasure trove of natural resources. It is the Northern Sea Route - the shortest route from Europe to Asia. And the main thing for us is 2.5 million people who live in the Arctic regions, which make up 28% of Russia's territory," said Alexei Chekunkov in his speech.

The minister told the young people about the achievements of our country in the Arctic and the results of systematic work on the development of northern regions, which is carried out on the instructions of the President of Russia V.V. Putin. The mechanisms of state support allowed to attract investors in more than 800 investment projects with investments of 1.8 trillion rubles. One of the most interesting and dynamic industries, along with mining, oil and gas chemical, logistics and shipbuilding, is tourism. According to the results of 2023, the tourist flow to the Arctic exceeded 1 million people. Now 130 new tourism projects are being created in the Arctic with state support.

"The cross-cutting project on which the development of the entire Arctic depends is the development of the Northern Sea Route. The Northern Sea Route not only stitches together the west and east of Russia. Today it is an important geopolitical project, the only alternative for China's connection with the world ocean in case of escalation of the situation in the South China Sea. For Russia, the NSR is an alternative supply route for the northern regions, as well as the route along which the largest export-oriented enterprises are located," said Alexei Chekunkov.

Special attention is paid to improving the quality of life in the Arctic. This year, the Russian Government will approve development plans for 16 core agglomerations of the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation (AZRF), where 2/3 of northerners live. These cities serve as a base for the development of mineral resource centers, implementation of large investment and infrastructure projects, and play an important role in ensuring national security.

Alexei Chekunkov briefed the students on the unique Russian state trust "Arktikugol" (“Arctic Coal”), which has been operating since 1931 on the Spitsbergen archipelago and since 2022 has been transferred to the management of the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East and Arctic (Minvostokrazvitiya). The program of recovery of the enterprise, modernization of its infrastructure and diversification of its activities is being implemented. 

The Minister answered the students' questions related to the socio-economic development of the Arctic, the Northern Sea Route, environmental issues, aspects of international cooperation, and government support programs. The students noted that the information was new, interesting and insightful for them.

"The lecture allowed me to better understand the situation in the Arctic, to learn more about the work of the Government of the Russian Federation and the Minvostokrazvitiya aimed at the development of these strategically important territories for our country," said one of the active participants of the event, a student of the Higher School of Economics Borislav Bragin.

Accompanied by Vladimir Panov, Rosatom's special representative for Arctic development, the minister toured the Atom Pavilion exposition dedicated to the history of the Soviet nuclear project, the development of nuclear physics and nuclear power, and got acquainted with the achievements of the modern nuclear industry.