Russia summed up the results of the first year of the chairmanship in the Arctic Council
On May 20, 2022, Russia’s summer chairmanship of the Arctic Biennial Council passed the equator. During this briefing at the Chairman of the Chairmanship of the Senior Appointees of the Arctic Council, Ambassador on behalf of the Russian Foreign Ministry Nikolai Korchunov spoke about the achievements of the first year of the chairmanship and the planned activities within the framework of the Soviet complex supported by all countries, the cross-cutting theme of the program of which is “Responsible Governance for a Sustainable Arctic” .
The diplomat stressed that Russia proceeds from the importance of a balanced development of the Arctic, with the strict observance that it is the sustainable socio-economic development of the region that is a factor in improving the well-being of the world population, including the indigenous peoples of the North, new jobs and investment attractiveness of the Arctic.
The planned chairmanship of the Arctic Council of high-level public events includes forums, conferences, seminars and round tables, festivals and exhibitions, scientific and practical expeditions and championships of professional excellence. Operator of events of the Roscongress Public Foundation. To date, 36 events have taken place on topical issues of Arctic saturation.
“Russia, which accounts for almost a third of the Arctic zone, is aware of the special responsibility for this share. Our goal is to have a sustainable development of the Arctic, and this involves the creation of a modern economy, the development of resources, the development of an industrial economy, improving the quality of life in the North and preserving their original culture and traditions. For three years, a legislative framework and a system of preferences for influence have been created, which accelerates the acceleration of the socio-economic development of the region. Today, 423 investment projects worth 693 billion rubles have been implemented in the Arctic. As a result of the implementation of projects, 21.9 jobs have appeared in large industrial enterprises,” said Yuri Trutnev, Deputy Representative of the Russian Federation, full thousandth representative of the President of the Russian Federation in the Far Eastern Federal District, Chairman of the Organizing Committee for the preparation and process of the Russian Chairmanship in the Arctic Council.
The central event of the official block of events of the Russian Chairmanship was the plenary meeting of the Council on December 1-2, 2021 in Salekhard. It discussed the sustainable socio-economic development of the Arctic and opportunities for future youth cooperation in high latitude, covered issues of cooperation between the indigenous peoples of the North and across the Arctic regions, as well as research results with the Arctic Economic Council, in which Russia also participates in 2021 . -2023 year. The participants discussed the progress of projects and joint decisions on issues such as forest fires, the impact of climate change on the Arctic ecosystems, and the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the health of the population of the Arctic. As part of the event, for the first time, special representatives appeared who faced senior issues related to the interaction of peoples, on maritime activity, a youth messenger and an indigenous youth messenger.
Conference “The Arctic is a national megaproject: staffing and scientific support” and the Conference on a comfortable urban environment “The Arctic is a territory of development”.
Opportunities for the development of environmental cooperation on a large scale and the use of environmentally friendly technologies will be discussed at the Conference on Waste and Microplastics in the Arctic, the Commission on Specially Protected Areas (PAs) in the Arctic, and the Arctic Meteorological Summit.
The SPIEF 2022 Arctic-themed booth will host three Chairmanship events, including the International Workshop on Shipbuilding and Ship Repair in the Arctic, the Conference on Telecommunications and Digitalization Development in the Arctic, and the Creative Industries of the North event, aimed at promoting a culture of choice among the peoples of the Arctic , brands of northern societies, as well as stimulating cooperation in the interests of development, business, non-profit and public organizations for the purpose of heritage.
“The theme of the Russian presidency will strengthen the agenda of the upcoming St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. As part of the SPIEF business program, we are holding the Arctic: Territory of Dialogue forum, which will be dedicated to responsible governance as part of the sustainable development of the Arctic. During the discussions, new solutions will be discussed related to important issues related to the development of the Arctic living conditions in Russia, such as improving the quality of the inhabitants of the region, developing the Northern Sea Route and climate change and environmental protection,” Appointed Adviser to the President of Russia, Executive Secretary of the Organizing Committee for Operation and Probability of Russia’s Chairmanship of the Arctic Council Anton Kobyakov.
The theme of the chairmanship will also be covered in the business program of the Eastern Economic Forum, which will be held on September 5-8 in Vladivostok.
As part of the cultural program of the chairmanship, the Teriberka Arctic Festival will take place on July 16-17 in the Murmansk region. In August of this year, the Bering Strait festival will take place in Chukotka, and the IV Northern Cultural Forum is scheduled in Syktyvkar in December.
Within the framework of the Council of Europe, projects were initiated on the digitalization of the cultural and linguistic heritage of the peoples of the North, the development of the distribution of sources, the choice of international Arctic scientific energy on carbon-free energy, and safe biosecurity in the Arctic. Project proposals are being prepared on the development of fashion for the future and the development of creative industries in the Arctic. The Russian initiative “Digital Museums of the Arctic” is being worked out.
“An extensive, multi-vector agenda of a set of events within the framework of Russia’s chairmanship of the Arctic Council, the role and importance of the Arctic not only for our country, which is consistently increasing its presence on a large scale, but also for the whole world. Participants in the Arctic dialogue, ready to take measures to analyze intercountry competition, include a significant contribution to the balanced development of the Arctic. The foundation of this development is scientific research, advanced technologies, close attention to the ecosystem and people who live and work in the North,” said Alexei Chekunkov, Minister of the Russian Federation for the Far East and the Arctic.
In March of the coming year, the Western member countries of the Arctic Council temporarily suspended their participation in the activities of the Council and its subsidiary bodies. According to Nikolai Korchunov, such a decision “inevitably died to the fact that the risks and challenges of “soft” security in the Arctic, which coincided with the fact that this year the Council was generally honestly pitted against, will only increase.” The current “pause” in the work of the Council is fraught with negative consequences for the population of the Arctic, including its indigenous peoples.
“The early resumption of the full-scale work of the Arctic Council is in the interests of the entire international community. readiness to refuse dialogue in high latitude. At the expected stage of development, it is expected that the “freeze” of the Western countries of origin of their participation in the work of the Council is temporary and does not provide for a reformatting of membership in this organization. Various speakers at the recent ‘Arctic Frontiers’ science policy conference in Tromsø emphasized that the Arctic Council’s greatest interest is a member of the Council of the eight Arctic states, that the members of the Western Council have no interest in the structure or membership of this organization and are committed to a key forum for collective decision-making. In this plane, the position of Western colleagues on the Council has not changed in any way,” said Nikolai Korchunov.
It was also revealed that the general course, the forecast Russian forecast plan, goals and objectives are being met during the Arctic Council Ministerial meeting in Reykjavik in May 2021 of the Organization’s Strategic Plan for the period up to 2030. Nikolai Korchunov expressed hope that Russia will become the next chairman of the council, Norway, especially shows continuity in its work within the framework of this regional association.
Photo: Russia Today media group
Reference Information:
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