wp.arcticportal.org

Tag: Vladimir Putin

  • Putin speaks at the Arctic Forum

    Putin speaks at the Arctic Forum

    Putin during his speech.

    President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, held a speech at the third international Arctic Forum, in Salekhard. The first such forum was held in Moscow in September 2010, the second – in Arkhangelsk in 2011.

    Click here for the Arctic Portal mapping system

    The main theme of the current forum is environmental security. The forum participants will discuss possible scenarios of climate change in the Arctic, the current level of pollution, the impact of its industrial development on indigenous peoples and a number of other issues.

    Taking part in the third international Arctic forum will also be President of Finland Sauli Niinist, President of Iceland Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and many others.

    “Today more than ever, the Arctic needs particular care and attention. Russia, where the Far North regions make up almost a third of the country’s territory, is conscious of its responsibility for preserving the Arctic’s environmental stability,” Putin said in his speech.

    “Many of you here today know that we have adopted the Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy. We are using it as the base for drafting our State Programme for the Russian Arctic’s Social and Economic Development until 2020.”

    President Putin also underlined Russis intentions to clean up the Arctic, and said that the federal budget allocated 45 million US dollars to the cleanup.

    “I also note that we plan to extend considerably the network of nature conservation areas in the Arctic region. These specially protected natural areas currently make up around 6% of the Russian Arctic, nearly 322,000 square kilometres. Our plan is to increase this area several-fold.”

    Putin also stressed that coperation is high on the Russian agenda: “I want to reaffirm today Russia’s commitment to this declaration’s principles, and also to our desire to do everything possible to make the Arctic in practice a territory of partnership, cooperation and dialogue between countries and between the public at the broadest level.”

    Read Presidents Putin speech here.

  • Russian – Dutch dispatch now reported

    Russian – Dutch dispatch now reported

    Russian president Vladimir Putin and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte

    Yesterday, 9th of April 2013, Russian president Vladimir Putin and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, supervised the signing of memorandum on cooperation on Arctic shelf between representatives of Gazprom and Dutch Royal Shell.

    The memorandum was signed in Amsterdam and it brings together two nations in race for Arctic natural resources.

    The memorandum defines key points of cooperation in the Russian Arctic shelf gas and shale oil reserves investigation and development.

    In 2010 Gazprom and the Royal Dutch Shell signed a Protocol on a global strategic cooperation, and in June 2011 the companies signed an agreement on making a joint company, kremlin.ru says.

    If Gazprom gets licences for two shelf blocks in the Churcha and Pechora Seas, the Russian company will get 66,7% shares in the Russian-Dutch joint project, and Shell will get 33,3%.

    The new agreement between “Gazprom neft” and Royal Dutch Shell confirms the General partnership agreement on shale oil investigation and production.

    According to the agreement, the companies will make “Salym Petroleum Development N.V” joint company for new shale gas projects in Khanti-Mansi Autonomous district. Both sides will have 50% shares of the company, which is to be registered in St.Petersburg.

    Russia and Holland have been working together on Sakhalin Shelf, and believe that Sakhalin experience will be used for work on the Arctic shelf and with shale oil.

    Gazprom believes the new company will increase a competence and a technological level of the Russian oil industry.

    Source

    Barents Observer

  • Russian pipeline launched

    Russian pipeline launched

    North Stream Pipeline from Russia to Germany

    The North Stream Pipeline was officially opened by Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin this week. It will carry natural gas from Russia to Germany, via the Baltic Sea.

    Russia has been dependent on Ukrainian pipelines and the two have had disputes in the past. At one point the pipelines were shut down because of conflict between the countries.

    “Nord Stream has a special significance for meeting the growing gas demand of the European market. It will be the first direct link between the world’s largest natural gas reserves located in Russia and the European gas transmission system, said Gazprom head Alexey Miller told the companies website.

    Most of the natural gas to be supplied by Gazprom via Nord Stream will come from the Yuzhno-Russkoye oil and gas field — one of the largest fields in the world.

    Later, the Nord Stream will also be supplied with additional gas from fields on the Yamal Peninsula, in Ob-Taz bay as well as the Shtokman field.

  • Putin urges Arctic deal for resources

    Putin urges Arctic deal for resources

    Vladamir Putin

    Former Russian president, and current prime minister of Russia Vladimir Putin Urges Arctic nations to reach an agreement on the areas rich mineral resources. Further he states that he is confident that all such agreements will be peaceful and in accordance to international law. During last month a historic border deal between Norway and Russia was signed, which hopefully can be looked upon as a example of how these matters should be sorted out.

    The Arctic nations are amongst those which are working on mapping their seabed, which in accordance with the United Nations Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) determines where the 200 nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone starts.

    Mr. Putin was quoted saying ” Serious political and economic interests are indeed crossing over in the Arctic. But I have no doubt that problems, including the continental shelf problem, can be solved in the spirit of partnership, It is well known that it is difficult to survive in the Arctic on your own. Nature itself makes people, nations and states help each other there,”

    Russia is currently the world´s top energy supplier, and it has been stated that they estimate that it’s entire Arctic territory holds twice as much oil and gas reserves as Saudi Arabia today.

    It will be interesting to see how the Arctic states negotiate exact territorial claims, but there seems to be a consensus from most parties that an agreement will be made under UNCLOS, which has been ratified by all the Arctic states exempt the U.S, which still admit that they will abide to UNCLOS as it has become international customary law.