International Arctic forum to discuss transportation, ecology, business, tourism

St PETERSBURG, December 5. /TASS/. Opportunities for further exploration in and development of the Arctic areas are the highlights of the ‘Arctic: Today and the Future’ 6th international forum that opens here on Monday. "The forum that gathers annually summarizes the results of public discussions on the issues related to the Arctic and also formulates the agenda for collaboration between society and the government in what concerns development of the Arctic areas," the press service of the forum said. "The program of the forum is synchronized with the priority guidelines of Russia’s Strategy for Development of the Arctic Zone," the press service said. More than 1,200 officials from the Russian federal ministries and departments tackling the problems of the Arctic areas, members of Russian parliament, officials from the regional agencies of power, executives of Russian and foreign commercial companies, members of the research community, and newsmen are expected to attend the gathering. Discussions will center on the major topics, like social and economic development of the Arctic zone, operations on the Northern Sea Route, construction of automobile roads and railways leading to ports on the Arctic seas, oil and gas projects, shipbuilding, Arctic tourism, and international cooperation. Organizers of the forum believe "the insufficiency of the mechanisms for acceptance and transshipment of cargoes in the Arctic seaports" poses one of the main problems for development of the Arctic areas. They indicate that the insufficiently developed road networks and problems with managing the cargo flows reduce the commercial attractiveness of the Northern Sea Route. "The session will consider the ways of boosting the attractiveness of the Northern Sea Route through the setting-up of a unified logistics operator, construction of new terminals, and an overhaul of the fleets of auxiliary seacraft," the press service of the forum said. In the oil and gas sphere, problems mostly stem from the unfavorable prices for oil and gas in the international market. The factor has put brake on the implementation of certain oil and gas projects in the Arctic region and has brought about a shortage of funding in large infrastructure projects, construction of cargo ships, and exploration of deposits on the continental shelf. Participants in the forum will also look at the most promising plans for the expansion of Arctic tourism. A number of current projects will be reviewed. Read more