The Arctic: Building Bridges Between Nations and Communities

As the largest Arctic power, the Arctic has always been and remains a zone of strategic interest to Russia. The country has consistently viewed the Arctic as a region of peace and constructive cooperation. It has advocated for removing dividing lines in the high latitudes, reducing tensions, and seeking responsible political and diplomatic solutions to issues facing the region. Despite the challenges, the Arctic remains a space for dialogue and mutually beneficial cooperation — Vladislav Maslennikov, Director of the Department of European Issues, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.

A prosperous Arctic is not only about preserving the environment, but also about ensuring that future generations can live, work, and take on leadership roles in the region. Young people play a crucial role in fostering innovation, maintaining cultural traditions, and addressing the challenges we face. Their involvement is vital in building a sustainable and stable Arctic — Morten Höglund, Chairman of the Committee of Senior Officials, Arctic Council.

The image of our tourists is undoubtedly linked to an interest in the history of the Russian North. Arkhangelsk Region has a rich history, which is deeply intertwined with its development. And of course, we are seeing a great many so-called ‘intellectual tourists’, who come to see and learn about the history of the Russian North and its cultural heritage sites. That is why we are doing increasingly more to expand our expertise in this area. Naturally, we are open to international cooperation with foreign partners in this regard — Igor Muraev, Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Arkhangelsk Region.

There is real interest in the Arctic, particularly where I work. Over the past few years, interest in the Arctic has been growing in both Eastern and Western India. Three ministries – Foreign Affairs, Science, and Transport – are working on Arctic-related projects and conducting research. They also have a number of export centres and groups across various fields. The Ministry of Transport, in particular, is focused on supporting maritime resource research at the university, while other institutions are engaged in numerous Arctic-related projects — Suba Chandran, Professor and Dean, National Institute for Advanced Studies.

Military infrastructure is developing at an accelerated pace. The European Union’s continued adoption of illegitimate sanctions against Russia is aimed, among other things, at hindering the development of the Russian Arctic and international cooperation in the North as a whole. Finland and Sweden’s accession to NATO has further increased military and political tensions in the Arctic. Large-scale NATO exercises are being conducted near Russia’s borders. Since 2022, the full operation of the Arctic Council has been frozen, due to the actions of Western nations — Vladislav Maslennikov, Director of the Department of European Issues, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.

One of our key initiatives, the wildfire prevention programme, aims to expand cooperation and share expertise among stakeholders in the Arctic. We work closely with permanent participants such as the Association of Indigenous Young People of the North and various working groups. Our efforts are focused on addressing this urgent issue through strategic communication campaigns and raising awareness — Morten Höglund, Chairman of the Committee of Senior Officials, Arctic Council.

What is technosphere safety? It encompasses all the challenges faced by our Arctic regions – logistics, communications, and the development of industrial centres. We have specifically highlighted the issue of permafrost. Recently, we became Russia’s third officially recognized permafrost region, alongside Yakutia and the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Area. Rapid environmental changes are increasing the risk of ground subsidence, which destabilizes frozen soil layers. If we ignore these issues – the ones we are discussing at this forum – the likelihood of severe consequences will only grow — Aleksandr Savchenko, Deputy Governor of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug.

How can Russia and India collaborate on these projects? Last year, a delegation from Murmansk University visited our institution. And next year, we will send a delegation of our scientists to Murmansk for a reciprocal visit. A whole team of researchers from Chennai is already working on this. And we can expand this focus. In Bangalore, we are attempting to establish a network of universities and institutes dedicated to Arctic projects, including polar bear research. We publish a specialized journal on the Arctic, and are endeavouring to establish academic cooperation between Russian and Indian scientists to develop relevant publications and new educational programmes for institutes — Suba Chandran, Professor and Dean, National Institute for Advanced Studies.

In our view, this initiative is crucial for regions in the Arctic – the launch of an expeditionary activity aggregator project. In our region in particular, expeditions can take place. However, sometimes members do not leave their coordinates and so on. We have proposed regulatory measures requiring expedition teams to register their routes to enable them to be located quickly. This will ensure that, in extreme weather conditions such as freezing temperatures, severe blizzards and so on, the safety of expedition members will not be compromised — Aleksandr Savchenko, Deputy Governor of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug.

Our annual volume of maritime and river freight through the port is around 5–6 million tonnes. Maritime transport has increased by 30% compared to 2023, and transshipment of export-import cargo has nearly tripled over the past two years. Of particular note is the fact that the range of transported goods has evolved, especially in the high-margin container transport sector. Last year, we achieved a seven-year high in terms of container turnover, increasing it around 40 times in this period — Igor Muraev, Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Arkhangelsk Region.

We have already launched two national tourist routes. The first, ‘Arkhangelsk – Where the Arctic Begins’, includes a visit to a commercial port in Arkhangelsk – Russia’s first port, as mentioned previously. The second, ‘The Enigmatic North: From Arkhangelsk to Solovki’, extends this experience by including a visit to the Solovetsky Archipelago, a UNESCO World Heritage Site — Igor Muraev, Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Arkhangelsk Region.