On July 21, the Valdai Discussion Club held a seminar titled “The Arctic Region: Government Politcy and Development Amid Conditions of Uncertainty”, co-organized with the World Economy and International Affairs Faculty of the HSE University.
On July 13 2020, Russia President Vladimir Putin signed a package of federal laws on preferential treatment for companies that work in the Arctic. Before this, in March of 2020, the Basic Principles of the Russian Federation State Policy in the Arctic to 2035 were approved. The project of the Strategy of Development of the Arctic of the Russian Federation and Provision of National Security to 2035 project is pending approval.
Meanwhile the economic crisis tied to the COVID-19 pandemic has made us take a fresh look at prospects for regional development. Amid the world economic slowdown and the energy price slump the demand for the development of the Arctic through extensive methods of increased production and shipping has significantly reduced. At the same time, the Arctic region has long been perceived as a battleground for competition. The development of the region will increasingly be determined by relations within the USA – Russia – China triangle and especially by the growing contradictions between Washington and Beijing, which the Valdai Discussion Club has more than once addressed in its reports.
How can the development of the Russian Arctic be stimulated in times of crisis? Can the international cooperation contribute to the development goals of the Arctic? How will US-China competition affect the future of the Arctic? These and other questions were discussed by the participants in the seminar.