Commander-in-Chief of Navy Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov addresses International Arctic Forum in St. Petersburg
07.12.2023
Today the 13th International Forum Arctic: Present and Future began its work in St. Petersburg, bringing together more than 2,000 participants from Russia and abroad. During the two-day business programme, comprehensive and strategic decisions on the social and economic development of the Arctic zone will be discussed and tactical steps for their implementation will be developed by representatives of the authorities, heads of major Russian companies and banks, leading experts from the scientific community, media outlets, and civil society. They are also going to assess the investment potential and opportunities of the northern regions. a
Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov, Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy, gave a report on ensuring Russia's security and its economic activities in the Arctic during the Forum's opening ceremony.
He emphasised that the military-political situation in the Arctic region is currently characterised by an increase in negative trends in regional security. These trends are connected with the expansion of the NATO bloc and the aggressive policy of the collective West towards Russia. In particular, there is a growing foreign military presence in the Arctic and increased competition between countries for access to the resources and communications of the Arctic Ocean.
In recent years, almost all countries in the region, as well as a number of extra-regional states, have updated their doctrinal documents. These documents define priority areas for the implementation of national interests in the Arctic. Some of them, such as the United States, see Russia's activities in the region as a key challenge to their own interests. They propose to curb the development of Russia's influence by all possible means, from sanctions to military force.
At the same time, the development of the Russian Arctic zone as a strategic resource potential and its rational use, including the full development of the continental shelf beyond the 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone and ensuring the functioning of the Northern Sea Route as a national transport route, which are related to Russia's development, protection of its sovereignty, and territorial integrity.
Developing Russia's military component in the Arctic is seen as necessary to counter threats to Russia and prevent aggressive actions by other countries. The main instrument for implementing Russia's state policy in the World Oceans and the Arctic is the Navy, which not only has the deterrence function, but has also been actively engaged in research activities in the Arctic region since the time of Pyotr the Great. Research in the Arctic seas involves approximately 2,000 linear kilometres of measurements and gravity surveys, standard hydrological profile studies, topography and geodesy, all of which contribute to clarifying the coastline.
Over the past decade, more than 40 new geographical features have been discovered and described, including 14 islands and 4 islets, 15 capes, 3 straits, and 5 bays found in the archipelagos of Franz Josef Land and Novaya Zemlya.
The materials obtained have been used in the preparation of the Addenda to the Application of the Russian Federation to the United Nations on the Outer Limits of the Continental Shelf in the Arctic Ocean.
This year, the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf approved point coordinates in most of the Arctic Ocean at Russia's request. The Commander-in-Chief of the Navy noted that this work will continue.
Department for Media Affairs and Information
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