The Ministry of Natural Resources Is Working on the “Continental Shelf” Project
The Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation is still deciding whether the Continental Shelf project will be a separate federal project or will be included in existing programs, Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology Alexander Kozlov told RIA Novosti at the Eastern Economic Forum.
“We are currently working on proposals, considering various options – whether this will be a separate federal project or whether they will be included in existing programs. We are working on this together with colleagues from the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Economic Development, the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Education, Rosgeology, the Marine Arctic Exploration Expedition, Lomonosov Moscow State University,“ Kozlov said, answering the question whether the Continental Shelf project is currently being worked on.
He stressed that Russia has huge oil and gas reserves, but at the same time, quite significant territories have not been explored, including the Arctic shelf.
“The goal, as Russian President Vladimir Putin said today at the plenary session of the Eastern Economic Forum, is to ensure the country‘s resource sovereignty, to form a stable base for uninterrupted supply to the national economy of our regions,“ the minister added.
The Arctic is a subject of Russia‘s geopolitical interests, and it is important for it to be present there, including ensuring the loading of the most important marine artery – the Northern Sea Route, Kozlov concluded.
The Eastern Economic Forum is taking place on September 3-6 on the campus of the Far Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok. RIA Novosti is the general information partner of WEF–2024.
