An expert roundtable on international cooperation in the Arctic took place in Moscow, Russia, on the 2nd of March. The roundtable looked at the upcoming International Artic Forum, The Arctic: Territory of Dialogue, as a platform to discuss economic cooperation in the Arctic.
The participants of the roundtable included Alexander Tsybulskiy, Deputy Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation; Vladimir Barbin, Ambassador at Large, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation and Russian Senior Arctic Official; Denis Khramov, Deputy Chairman of the Management Board at NOVATEK; Matvey Navdaev, Advisor to the Director of the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs and Director of the Youth Forum; and Slava Khodko, Head of Project Development, the Roscongress Foundation.
"We are expecting representatives from all of the Arctic states to attend. In addition to the heads of state of Finland and Iceland, the Vice Premier of China, and Prime Minister of Sweden, the Foreign Ministers of Norway and Denmark have also recently confirmed their attendance," said Barbin.
During the roundtable, participants also touched upon the subject of attracting young people to take part in Arctic-related projects. According to Navdaev, “This is the first time that an event for young people like The Arctic: Made in Russia Forum is taking place at something as internationally significant as the ‘Arctic: Territory of Dialogue’ International Arctic Forum. One hundred and eighty people will be participating in the Youth Forum, with representatives from Russia and other member states of the Arctic Council, as well as Japan, Italy, Mexico, and China".
Topics discussed by participants also included achieving good transport connectivity in the Arctic, and implementing major investment projects.
The Arctic: Territory of Dialogue 4th International Arctic Forum will take place in Arkhangelsk on March 29–30, 2017. The forum programme offers over 40 events, including 32 themed sessions and discussions, two plenary sessions, and an extended session of the State Commission for Arctic Development. A number of events are also scheduled to take place on the sidelines of the Forum, including The Arctic: Made in Russia International Youth Educational Forum, the Northern Cities Forum, and the Arctic Business Forum.