“The Arctic is a geostrategic territory of particular importance for the sustainable development of Russia and its security. Our national interests are enshrined in the Fundamentals of State Policy in the Arctic. Among them are ensuring the sovereignty of the country, preserving the Arctic as a territory of peace and mutually beneficial partnership, ensuring a high quality of life and well-being of citizens, developing the Arctic as a strategic resource base, developing the Northern Sea Route, and protecting the environment,” said the Vice Speaker of the Federation Council Galina Karelova, opening the meeting of the Council for the Development of the Far East, the Arctic and Antarctic.
Aleksey Chekunkov, head of the Russian Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East, delivered a report on the comprehensive development of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation to the Council participants. According to the minister, the mechanisms of state support for entrepreneurial activity in the Arctic have already made it possible to attract 1.6 trillion rubles of investments in 673 projects that form the new economy of the region. The new Arctic enterprises will create about 38,000 new jobs, of which 12,000 have already been created.
Special attention during the council meeting was paid to the development of the Northern Sea Route. According to the Plan for the Development of the NSR approved by the Government of Russia, investments in the development of this strategic transport and logistics corridor and related infrastructure will amount to about 1.8 trillion rubles by 2035. State investments are protected by legally binding agreements between companies implementing the largest projects in the Arctic.
The priority direction of the work of the Government of Russia is to improve the quality of life of northerners, including through the creation of new social infrastructure facilities. Last year, the mechanism of the President's “unified subsidy” was extended to the regions of the Arctic zone. For the implementation of new socially significant projects in 2022-2023. 6 billion rubles have already been allocated.