December 11 at the IV International Forum "The Arctic: Present and Future" First Vice-President of the Russian Geographical Society Artur Chilingarov and Murmansk Governor Marina Kovtun signed a cooperation agreement.
Commenting on the signing, head of the Polar region noted that the official confirmation will raise the cooperation between Murmansk Oblast and the Russian Geographical Society to a new level and will make the Arctic theme sound even stronger.
"It is very important for us to support all projects and initiatives related to the Arctic. We have decided to breathe new life into the regional branch of the Russian Geographical Society. Especially now when the whole territory of Murmansk Oblast was included in the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation and important strategic documents have been signed. Now the Arctic territory must recognize themselves in a new way, not as part of the North-West Federal District, but as part of the Arctic zone. Particular work should be done"- Marina Kovtun said.
The Russian Geographical Society organizes and holds the Forum "The Arctic - Territory of Dialogue". Murmansk Oblast initiated to host the forum next year, said Marina Kovtun. Icebreaker "Lenin" (there is an exposition on the history of the Arctic exploration) could become one of the sites of the Forum. Artur Chilingarov thanked Marina Kovtun for an active role in the Arctic projects and comprehensive promotion of the subject.
Murmansk Oblast already participates in several projects of the Russian Geographical Society. In particular, Alexander Maslov, senior fellow at the Murmansk Marine Biological Institute, Kola Scientific Center, Russian Academy of Sciences won the grant of the President of the Russian Federation for state support of young Russian scientists. The topic of his research is "Biology of Arctic crustaceans in terms of climate variability."
Participants of Murmansk Club of young travelers attended the First All-Russian youth gathering of representatives of the Russian Geographical Society’s regional branches. Currently, the draft of a joint work of the Society and the regional government for 2015 has been formed. It touches upon education, preservation of historical and cultural heritage of Russia, wildlife and other issues.