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The “International Cooperation in the Arctic: New Challenges and Vectors of Development” conference organized by the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) under the auspices of the Government of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was held in Moscow on October 12—13, 2016. Official Partner of the Conference is NOVATEK. The event was held ahead of the 20th anniversary of the Arctic Council and was attended by representatives of all its member states, including senior officials from Russia, Norway and Iceland, officials from Denmark and Canada, members of the business community, and leading experts from the Arctic countries.

The “International Cooperation in the Arctic: New Challenges and Vectors of Development” conference organized by the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) under the auspices of the Government of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was held in Moscow on October 12-13, 2016.

Official Partner of the Conference is NOVATEK.

The event was held ahead of the 20th anniversary of the Arctic Council and was attended by representatives of all its member states, including senior officials from Russia, Norway and Iceland, officials from Denmark and Canada, members of the business community, and leading experts from the Arctic countries. In addition, the discussions on key topics of Arctic development attracted representatives of the Arctic Council’s new observer states: China, Japan, Singapore and South Korea. More than 500 experts in such diverse fields as international law and ecology, transport, fisheries, the indigenous peoples of the North and the economic development of the Arctic region, among many others, took part in the Conference.   

The opening of the plenary sessions took place on October 13, where RIAC President Igor Ivanov, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation and Chairman of the State Commission for Arctic Development Dmitry Rogozin, Special Representative of the President of Russia for Environmental Protection, Ecology and Transport Sergei Ivanov, Special Representative of the President of Russia for International Cooperation in the Arctic and Antarctic and Chairman of the Scientific Expert Council of the State Commission for Arctic Development of Russia Artur Chilingarov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States to Russia John Tefft, Ambassador of Finland to Russia Mikko Hautala, and, Chairman of Ferring Pharmaceuticals, and Founder of The Swiss Polar Institute (SPI) Frederik Paulsen all gave welcoming remarks and addresses. A welcome address from Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation and Chairman of Board of Trustees of RIAC Sergey Lavrov was also read out to the Conference participants.   

In his speech, Igor Ivanov noted that despite the unfavourable political situation, international cooperation in the Arctic continues to develop. “Over the past three years, the region has not become (and we hope will not become) an arena for geopolitical confrontation among great powers or the Arctic states,” the RIAC President stated. Mr. Ivanov also expressed hope that “the Arctic, which in many ways sustains life on Earth, will remain an example of the states’ responsible approach towards cooperation in the region.”   

Dmitry Rogozin supported the idea that the Arctic continues to be an area where international cooperation with Russia continues. He stressed that the events of the past two and a half years have not affected the Arctic Council’s cooperation projects, all of which are in full swing today. Mr. Rogozin also talked about Russia’s large-scale investment plans in the Arctic Region: “The State Commission [for Arctic Development of Russia] has tasked the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation, as well as federal and regional government bodies and organizations with preparing a kind of ‘portfolio’ of projects that are either under way or are planned to be carried out in the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation. A total of around 150 priority projects worth almost 5 trillion roubles have been selected. The projects are scheduled to be completed by 2030.”   

Sergei Ivanov, in his first address since being appointed for a new post, drew attention to the environmental agenda of the circumpolar region. He mentioned that two new national parks – the Central-Chukotka National Park (in Chukotka Autonomous Okrug) and Khibiny (in Murmansk Region) – and the Medvezhyi Island nature reserve (in Yakutia) will be opened in the Russian region of the Arctic by 2020. Mr. Ivanov also noted the positive role that the Arctic Council plays in developing intergovernmental measures for combatting climate change. 

Artur Chilingarov stressed that there “are no problems [in the Arctic] that would require a military solution,” and that joint research was one of the more promising areas of cooperation. The member of the Seventh State Duma of the Russian Federation underscored the need to adopt the Federal Law “On the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation,” a draft of which is expected to be submitted to the lower chamber this autumn.   

Official representatives from the United States, whose chairmanship of the Arctic Council is coming to a close, and Finland, the country to which chairmanship will pass, also gave speeches at the opening of the Conference.

John Tefft noted that the war on climate change is a priority of the U.S. Chairmanship of the Arctic Council. In his view, global warming is a challenge that all countries, and not just the Arctic states,    face. Still, there is no denying that the Arctic Circle is the region which suffers most from the climate change consequences . 

In his speech, Mikko Hautala pointed out that the Arctic Council is the most important forum in Finland’s Arctic policy. The Finnish diplomat talked at length about inter-state cooperation in the Arctic, focusing on environmental protection and the search for a joint solution to the environmental challenges that we are all facing. “The region that divided us in the past has become a uniting factor, not only for the Arctic countries, but for the whole world,” noted Mr. Hautala.         

In turn, Frederik Paulsen noted that, despite the extremely negative consequences of climate change in the Arctic, it nevertheless created new possibilities for the commercial development of the region in such areas as the fishing industry, shipping and mining. And while the decline in global hydrocarbon prices has caused mining companies to lose interest somewhat in exploring Arctic deposits, Mr. Paulsen believes that international laws regulating this kind of activity still need to be developed. He also spent some time talking about international scientific cooperation. In his opinion, the scientific cooperation in the Antarctic could serve an example for the Arctic.      

The Conference was marked by a high level of expert dialogue. Over the two days, the participants discussed a wide range of issues related to international cooperation in the Arctic. In the plenary sessions much time was devoted to the legal regulation of the activities of companies and states in the Arctic Region, as well as to the prospects for developing its economic potential. Particular attention was paid to the commercial development of the Arctic Circle. The participants discussed the various aspects related to the development of shipping, including along the Northern Sea Route, and the extraction of oil, gas and other minerals.    

A special session dedicated to the role of the Arctic Council in ensuring peace, cooperation and sustainable development in the Arctic was held, with Director of the Secretariat of the Arctic Council Magnus Jóhannesson, Senior Arctic Official of Russia at the Arctic Council and Ambassador-at-Large of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia Vladimir Barbin, Senior Arctic Official of Norway at the Arctic Council and Ambassador for Arctic Affairs of Norway Anniken Krutnes, Senior Arctic Official of Iceland at the Arctic Council and Ambassador of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Iceland Arni Sigurdsson, Commissioner on the United States Arctic Research Commission David Benton, Deputy Director of the Arctic and North America Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark Torsten Nielsen, Deputy Head of Mission and Minister-Counsellor of the Embassy of Canada to Russia Stephane Jobin and leading Russian experts all made speeches. The discussion was moderated by the Vice President for Interregional Cooperation at the University of the Arctic and Advisor to the Rector for International Cooperation at the Northern (Arctic) Federal University Marina Kalinina. The participants all agreed that the Arctic Council is one of the most significant platforms for international cooperation in the region. It was noted that the Council has a number of promising initiatives in terms of scientific cooperation, although they are primarily ad-hoc and lack regularity. 

Videos of the plenary sessions and a selection of the expert sessions, as well as the presentations made by the participants, will be published on the RIAC website.

Conference “International Cooperation in the Arctic: New Challenges and Vectors of Development”

Media coverage

Russia Direct: So far, cooperation in the Arctic not affected by geopolitics

Russia Direct: 20 years of promoting peace in the Arctic

Russia Beyond The Headlines: Russia to develop icebreaker able to clear passage through 5-meter ice

Sputnik: US, Russia Can Do Better Job on Scientific Research in Arctic Region

Sputnik: Oslo, Moscow Enjoy Good Cooperation in Arctic Despite Geopolitical Situation

Sputnik: Finland to Continue Arctic Cooperation With Russia in Framework of Sanctions

Sputnik: Russia Stands for Strengthening Multilateral Cooperation in Arctic Region

Sputnik: Russia, Finland Share Common Vision on Cooperation in Arctic Development

Sputnik: Deal on Commercial Fishing Ban in Arctic in Russia’s, US Interests

ilVelino: Artico, fino a giovedì a Mosca Conferenza internazionale su cooperazione

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