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«Growing up together in the Arctic»

India intends to participate in the development of Russia's Arctic zone

11 september 2022

A session entitled 'The Global Impact of the Russian Arctic: Opportunities for South Asia' was held as part of the EEF 2022. It concluded that India could be one of Russia's key partners in the development and exploration of the Arctic. Already today, the two countries are implementing a number of joint projects in high latitudes and plan to expand their list.

«We are incorporating the Arctic agenda into government policy for the future, in cooperation with Russia. India is ready to play an active role in this cooperation,», – reported пK.M. Seethi, Professor of the School of International Relations and Politics at the Mahatma Gandhi University.

India has already become an important partner of Russia in the economic development of Russia's Arctic zone. This was stated by Nikolay Korchunov, Ambassador-at-Large of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation and the Chair of the Senior Arctic Officials of the Arctic Council, at the session 'The Global Impact of the Russian Arctic: Opportunities for South Asia.' 'We are positive about the involvement of Indian companies in the development of the Vankor oil and gas field. We welcome interest in the Yamal LNG and Arctic LNG 2 projects. We are also interested in entering other Russian Arctic projects with Indian partners», – said Korchunov.

Energy companies in India are interested in developing hydrocarbons in Russia, on the Arctic shelf, confirmed Nivedita Kapoor, a researcher at the Department of World Economy and World Politics at the National Research University Higher School of Economics. These are strategic plans, but in the meantime, India is ready to give Russia tactical support. 'In light of sanctions, India can help the Russian Federation as an importer of resources, – noted Kapoor.

According to Nikolay Korchunov, bilateral cooperation on the development of the North Sea Route infrastructure, as well as on Arctic shipbuilding and energy, science and environmental protection, is particularly promising.

«Cooperation in the Arctic is strategic for us: cooperation in energy for Indian companies, using the North Sea Route to integrate maritime routes—the Baltic Sea, the Caspian Sea, the Volga. We must grow and expand together in the Arctic», – believes B.K. Sharma, Director of the United Service Institution of India (USI)

By joining forces, Russia and India can jointly tackle challenges such as global warming and the growing environmental risks in the Arctic.

The two countries have already agreed to strengthen cooperation in science. 'It is science that is the driving force, we have scientific developments, technology. Cooperation with the polar region, especially from a scientific point of view, will benefit India, among others. The policy seeks to strengthen bilateral relations with Russia in this area», – said Seethi.

Russia faces labour shortages in large-scale projects in the Arctic. This is another opportunity for closer cooperation. 'Russia is a labour-deficient country, and to develop the Arctic, you need manpower and "brains." There has long been talking about India providing manpower to Russia, so it might be worth taking a closer look», – believes Artem Lukin, Associate Professor of the Department of International Relations at the Far Eastern Federal University.

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