On February 21, the third international conference The Arctic: Shelf Projects and Sustainable Development of the Regions (The Arctic 2018) came to a close at the Russian Chamber of Trade and Industry.

During the second day of the conference, two plenary sessions were held: "Sustainable Development of the Arctic Regions: Objectives and Approaches" and "Key Projects in the Arctic Zone: Shelf Projects, Mineral Resource Centers and Infrastructure." The moderators were Gennady Shmal, President of the Union of Oil and Gas Producers of Russia; Vasily Bogoyavlensky, Deputy Director for Academic Affairs at the Institute of Oil and Gas Problems at the Russian Academy of Sciences and Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences; Mikhail Grigoryev, Member of the Scholarly Council at the Russian Security Council; and Dmitry Fishkin, Aide to the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment.

Participants discussed the development of federal and regional programs for the Arctic regions; strategic goals of providing transport accessibility; long-term oil and gas, ore mining and infrastructure projects; power, environmental and economic security for the Arctic; the current state and prospects for developing the Arctic shelf; international Arctic dialogue; and other topics.