RF's Security Council to discuss Arctic's transport infrastructure

NARYAN-MAR /Nenets Autonomous District/, August 6 (Itar-Tass) --
Further development of transport infrastructure in Russia's Arctic zone
from the point of view of the national security will be the key topic of a
meeting, which Russia's Secretary of the Security Council Nikolai
Patrushev will chair on Saturday.
The meeting will discuss development of transport infrastructure in
the Arctic zone, of air routes via the North Pole and will analyse the
Northern Sea Route's development.
The meeting will feature presidential envoys to the North-Western,
Urals, Siberian and Far East Districts, head of regions, and ministers of
transport, of regional development, of defence, of nature, interior,
economic development, EMERCOM, the Federal Security Service, the Customs
Service and other authorities, as well as representatives of the Arctic
Council's member-countries.
On the same day, an international conference "By Northern Route to
Strategic Stability and Equal Partnership in the Arctic" will open on
board the Yamal icebreaker. The conference will continue its work till
August 11, and the icebreaker will cover the route from the Varandei Port
to the Tiksi Port.
"The main objective of the conference is to confirm Russia's
compliance with norms of international law during implementation of
national priorities in the Arctic, which are based on Russia's state
policies in the Arctic to 2020, which had been approved at the Security
Council's meeting in 2008, as well as to improve international cooperation
in the region and to discuss commercial projects and initiatives in using
the Northern Sea Route, which may be of interest to foreign investors, as
well as projects of social and economic development of Russia's part of
the Arctic," a source at the Security Council said.
Participants in the conference will discuss possible directions of
cooperation between countries of the Arctic region, security in the
Arctic, further development of the special regime of rational use of
natural resources and of environment in the Arctic, and organisation of a
united system for forecast and prevention of emergencies in the region, as
well as international, legal, economic and other issues related to
transportation along the Northern Sea Route.
Russia's EMERCOM will demonstrate a practical part of exercise to
prevent and overcome emergency situations on the North Sea Route.