Work on Arctic problems unites countries of the region, says Putin

ST. PETERSBURG, April 9. /TASS/. Joint activity of the Arctic region countries to solve global and regional problems brings them closer, Russian President Vladimir Putin told a plenary session of the Arctic Forum on Tuesday. Putin said he has just met with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto. "Currently, Finland holds the chairmanship of the Arctic Council and it has done a lot to raise, discuss and arrive at the settlement of issues that are key for conservation of Arctic nature, closely focusing on the issues that we have started settling together," Putin said. "The Arctic theme helps us understand a need for cooperation in the settlement of common tasks, and of course this is very good," Putin added. The moderator of the session asked whether Putin saw the participation in the forum of high representatives from Finland, Norway, Denmark and Iceland as the sign of a thaw in relations between Russia and Europe. "Unfortunately, the Arctic region is facing a thaw, this is true. Temperatures in the Arctic are rising four times quicker than across the globe in general," Putin said. As for a thaw in political relations, "this is certainly a positive process," he noted. "However, as you know, we have never stopped our contacts on the Arctic issue," the Russian president specified. St. Petersburg is hosting the ‘Arctic: Territory of Dialogue’ 5th International Arctic Forum on April 9-10. ‘The Arctic. The Ocean of Opportunities’ is this year’s theme at the forum. Roscongress is the official organizer, while TASS is a primary information partner and the official photo hosting provider. Read more