International Scientific Cooperation in the Arctic Discussed in Moscow

A meeting of senior officials for coordinating scientific research in the Arctic took place in Moscow this week. The meeting was held as part of the plan of major events associated with the Russian Chairmanship of the Arctic Council in 2021-2023, which is being operated by the Roscongress Foundation.

The event, chaired by Natalia Bocharova, Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, was attended by representatives of the Arctic countries (Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden, and the USA), the Arctic Council Working Groups, and the Arctic Indigenous Peoples' organizations, which are the Permanent Participants of the Arctic Council.

"The Russian Chairmanship aims to improve the efficiency of scientific activities and the practical applicability of their results in the Arctic. We intend to optimize the use of scientific infrastructure and promote the use of advanced technologies and best practices in implementing joint projects", stressed Nikolai Korchunov, Ambassador-at-Large for Arctic Cooperation at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Chair of the Arctic Council's Senior Arctic Officials.

According to him, one of the platforms for scientific cooperation in the high latitudes could be the international Arctic station Snezhinka in Yamal. The project, which focuses on joint research in the field of carbon-free energy, was submitted by Russia to the Arctic Council's Sustainable Development Working Group meeting in 2019 and was supported by the Arctic countries.

The participants discussed the need to identify shared priorities for Arctic research, strengthen international Arctic scientific cooperation, hold joint scientific competitions for research projects, as well as the possibility of establishing a Coordination Committee for Arctic Scientific Activities and creating a common international research database of Arctic countries.

The results of the discussion on the Russian initiatives will be presented at the Arctic Council Senior Arctic Officials’ plenary meeting on 1–2 December in Salekhard.