On August 15, 2024, at the Patriarchal and Synodal residence in the Danilov Stavropegic Monastery in Moscow, a meeting was held between His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' and Minister for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic Alexei Chekunkov.
"(I) have a special concern for the region for which you are responsible. I don't know how many citizens of our country have traveled from Murmansk to Vladivostok, visiting all the large settlements on the coast of the Arctic Ocean, the Bering Strait, all the mouths of the great rivers, all the more or less significant villages. I've been everywhere. Therefore, I have a thorough understanding of people’s lives, their way of life, material well-being, spiritual needs, and the problems they face. … It is important that the state authorities - I attribute this responsibility to the church as well - help ensure that these difficult living conditions do not stop the spiritual and material well-being and growth of residents. We have common tasks," noted His Holiness Patriarch Kirill.
Welcoming the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, the head of the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East emphasized the historical role of the Church, its religious, cultural, and missionary activities in the development of the Far Eastern and northern territories of our country.