Territory of Russia: Vladimir Putin – “Russia intends to expand its presence in the Arctic”

Russia intends to expand its presence in the Arctic, declared the Prime Minister and the leader of “Yedinaya Rossiya” (United Russia) party Vladimir Putin as he made a speech at the interregional conference of “Yedinaya Rossiya” in Yekaterinburg on June 30, 2011.

“Russia is certainly set to expand its presence in the Arctic. We are open for dialog with our foreign partners, our neighbors in the Arctic region, but, naturally, we will protect our geopolitical interests firmly and consistently," Vladimir Putin said.

The Prime Minister of Russia also urged to remember about careful attitude towards traditions and economic ways of the indigenous peoples of the North. “Their culture and way of life must be taken into account in the development of the social sphere, the education and healthcare systems and in creating the information environment”, he explained.

At the same time not a single industrial project in the Russian Arctic will be implemented without compliance with the most rigorous environmental standards, Vladimir Putin stressed.

Under the Convention on the Law of the Sea, coastal states have sovereign rights over the continental shelf (the national area of the seabed) for exploring and exploiting it. Earlier Russia has laid claim to large parts of the Arctic shelf saying it is an extension of its own continental shelf. The claim was rejected by the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf over lack of information.

If Russia offers additional data supporting its claim that Lomonosov and Mendeleev Ridges, which stretch to Greenland are extension of its continental shelf, it may get a right to extra 1.2 million km2 in the Arctic and exploit rich oil and gas deposits in Chukotka - Murmansk – North Pole triangle.

Russia is expected to prepare additional data supporting its claim by December 2013 and submit it to the United Nations in early 2014.