The Arctic Council states have signed the Agreement on Enhancing International Arctic Scientific Cooperation, RIA Novosti reports.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said that this would facilitate the sharing of research data and equipment. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that it will give a fresh impetus to the cooperation of researchers from the Arctic states.

The drafting of the agreement was co-chaired by Moscow and Washington. It is the third legally binding agreement negotiated under the auspices of the Arctic Council. The other two concern cooperation on aeronautical and maritime search and rescue in the Arctic and cooperation on marine oil pollution preparedness and response in the Arctic.

The Arctic Council is an international forum of eight Arctic states that are fully or partly located within the Arctic Circle — Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the United States. The Russian delegation in Fairbanks is led by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.