In a video conference meeting he chaired yesterday with leading members of his cabinet and other top officials, Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed that the social, economic and infrastructure development of the Arctic region, including implementing large-scale investment projects, is a top priority for the country. “Virtually all aspects of this country’s national security, including the environmental, natural resources, military-political and technological dimensions are concentrated” in this region, he said. So, there must be a continued focus on all projects and plans linked with the Arctic. “We must not shelve or delay them; on the contrary, we must expedite our work on current and long-term tasks to the greatest possible extent, in response to attempts to hamper our development.”
Putin stressed that the social sphere is especially important, because people’s health and security are at stake. Despite difficulties caused by unfriendly countries that have disrupted transport and logistical chains, Putin underscored that the government has all the resources and opportunity to be able to find alternative solutions “in no time.” He called for all necessary operations and reorganization to be carried out to meet the needs of the people of the region, providing all goods and services. He also listed a number of key infrastructure projects–ports, rail, development of the Northern Sea Route, and building the Northern Latitudinal Railway corridor, which will ease the burden on the Trans-Siberian railway and the Baikal-Amur Mainline (BAM), and help in redirecting basic exports to the East.
