Russia, Finland Share Common Vision on Cooperation in Arctic Development

Russia and Finland - the members of the Arctic Council - share a common view on the importance of cooperation in the development of the Arctic region, Russian Special Presidential Representative for Environmental Protection, Ecology and Transport Sergei Ivanov and Finland's Ambassador to Russia Mikko Hautala stressed Thursday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — At the opening of the plenary session on the Arctic development in Moscow, Hautala state:

"Without long-term cooperation [on Arctic region] there is no development. And vice versa, without development, the long-term cooperation is in danger."

The issues of development of the Arctic region will be solved if addressed jointly with other Arctic Council members "in a favorable ecological sphere," Ivanov noted.

The Arctic Council is an intergovernmental forum for the promotion of cooperation, coordination and interaction among the governments of the Arctic countries. The forum comprises eight Arctic nations, namely Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the United States, while 12 more states have observer status.

The two-day conference "International Cooperation in the Arctic: New Challenges and Vectors of Development" kicked off on Wednesday with expert sessions devoted to the 20th Anniversary of the Arctic Council, the eight-member intergovernmental forum. Russia, the United States, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden represent the member countries.