MFA and MSU Agree to Cooperate on Arctic Development

Ambassador-at-Large of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation and Chair of the Senior Arctic Officials at the Arctic Council Nikolay Korchunov and Rector of Lomonosov Moscow State University Viktor Sadovnichy met during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum to discuss the importance of interdisciplinary Arctic research on the climate, ecology, and biodiversity, according to the university’s press office. The meeting took place during Russia’s Chairmanship of the Arctic Council. The operator of Russian Chairmanship events is the Roscongress Foundation.

The meeting was also attended by Nikolay Shabalin, Russia’s Special Representative for Maritime Activities in the Arctic Region. The parties agreed to work together to develop effective interaction between state structures and universities and discussed possible forms of cooperation to establish a centre of expertise that would coordinate the activities of Russian scientific organizations studying the Arctic.

In addition, Korchunov, Sadovnichy, and Shabalin emphasized the need to employ modern maritime technologies and a scientific approach when developing the Arctic region. The meeting took place at the ‘Arctic: Territory of Dialogue’ stand of the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East and Arctic.

“The meeting made it possible to pin down areas where the state and universities could work together on the development of the Arctic region. The establishment of an expert centre to coordinate the activities of scientific organizations carrying out research in the Arctic will lead to a more systematic treatment of the data and have a cumulative effect on the interaction between state structures and scientific organizations,” Representative of the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East and Arctic and Chair of the Arctic Council’s Sustainable Development Working Group Abidat Magomedova said.

The comprehensive programme of Russia’s Chairmanship of the Arctic Council in 2021–2023 aims to promote cooperation to improve the well-being and quality of life of Arctic inhabitants, including the indigenous peoples of the North, to help them adapt to the effects of climate change, to preserve Arctic biodiversity and the Arctic’s unique ecosystems, ensure socioeconomic development, find solutions to questions of global energy and transport security, promote scientific cooperation in the polar regions, and strengthen Arctic cooperation.