Rosatom will co-host the “The Arctic – A Territory of Dialogue” international Arctic forum in Murmansk on March 26-27.
Two sessions hosted by Rosatom are scheduled to coincide with the 500th anniversary of the first reference to the Northern Sea Route (NSR). These include “The Long-Term NSR Development Model”, the key session of the Forum, focused on the creation of a new economic framework for the NSR, the prospects related to the Great Northern Sea Route; improved predictability and efficiency of logistics in the NSR waters; as well as the mechanism for international cooperation in the Northern Sea Route development.
According to the program, “The Long-Term NSR Development Model” session will be attended by Alexey Likhachev, Director General of Rosatom; Alexey Chekunkov, Minister of the Russian Federation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic; Andrey Chibis, the Governor of the Murmansk Region; Alexander Tsybulsky, the Governor of Arkhangelsk Region, and other officials. Foreign experts are also expected to participate in the event.
In addition, Rosatom will hold “The Northern Sea Route: 5 Centuries of History” session that will bring together business professionals interested in shipping cargo along the Northern Sea Route. It is suggested that the participants in the discussion focus not only on the history of discoveries and achievements that contributed to the development of this route, but also on the factors driving its growth today.
Reference
The Northern Sea Route is the shortest shipping route connecting Western Eurasia with the Asia-Pacific region. The NSR administratively begins at the junction of the Barents and Kara Seas (Kara Gate Strait) and ends at the Bering Strait (Cape Dezhnev), spanning a distance of approximately 5,600 kilometers. The route traverses the seas of the Arctic Ocean, including the Kara, Laptev, East Siberian, and Chukchi Seas. The NSR serves the ports of the Arctic and of major Siberian rivers. Currently, there are six key seaports along the NSR in the Russian Arctic: Sabetta, Dikson, Dudinka, Khatanga, Tiksi, and Pevek
The international Arctic forum is the main platform for discussing crucial issues related to the socio-economic development of the Arctic region, as well as developing comprehensive and multilevel mechanisms for exploring and effectively utilizing the region’s vast resource potential. This event allows government agencies, international organizations, academic institutions, and business communities from Russia and other countries to combine their efforts in an open dialogue and exchange ideas on sustainable development of the Arctic region. The Forum is held with the support of the State Commission for the Arctic Development and with the participation of the President of the Russian Federation.
In 2018, the Russian Government appointed Rosatom the Northern Sea Route infrastructure operator. Rosatom is responsible for overseeing the federal project “Development of the Northern Sea Route” also being involved in the plan for the development of the Northern Sea Route until 2035 and the initiative for the socio-economic development of the Russian Federation until 2030 “Year-Round Northern Sea Route” approved by the order of the Russian Government.
The comprehensive development of the Russian Arctic is a national strategic priority. To increase the NSR traffic is crucial for the success of the outstanding tasks. This logistics corridor is being developed due to the cargo shipping organized on a regular basis, construction of new nuclear icebreakers and modernization of the relevant infrastructure. Rosatom companies are actively involved in these efforts.
