Russia wants China to participate in constructing railways to transport cargo to ports on the Arctic or Northern Sea Route, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, Dmitry Rogozin said on Monday.
“Integrated development of the Northern Sea Route guarantees the security of year-round cargo shipments both foreign and domestic", Russian Deputy Prime Minister said "Our Chinese partners got interested in it. We do not rule out that there may be interests related to the economic development of the Silk Road. We proposed them to participate in such projects of building railways to transport cargos to the ports of the NSR. In fact, we can say now that this is not just the economic Silk Road but the cool (Arctic -TASS) Silk Road".
Regarding the Northern Sea Route and its development Rogozin stated: "I believe Russia has big prospects and large advantages precisely through the Northern Sea Route", and added "it is important that our structures and bodies responsible for the Northern Sea Route and the administration of the Northern Sea Route should be generators of ideas rather than the bodies stating facts and they should elaborate proposals on creating those technologies that will help make the Northern Sea Route operational round the year and in any season," the vice-premier said.
Tass, the Russian news agency, reported that the ambitious tasks of developing the Northern Sea Route are a priority for Russia along with the task of ensuring mobility and transport accessibility. The Northern Sea Route development model will integrate all kinds of transport communication, including the air, river and railway carriages, he added.
In his state-of-the-nation address to both houses of Russia’s parliament, President Vladimir Putin stressed the importance of the competitiveness of the Northern Sea Route, which should become a link between Europe and the Asia-Pacific Region, the vice-premier said.
"This is twice as shorter, more accessible and safer route. There are no Somali pirates in the Arctic," Rogozin said.
Russia also needs to create its icebreaker fleet, which will open big prospects for leading vessels along the Northern Sea Route.
In June, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev signed an order for the development of the Northern Sea Route, a passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific via the shortest route along Russia's arctic coastline.
Sources:RT Business and TASS