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
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.
