The Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East and the Arctic is to finish drafting the national Arctic development strategy until 2035 by March 20, Deputy Minister Alexander Krutikov noted.

"The draft strategy has now been submitted for consideration to federal authorities and Arctic regions. We are expecting another round of discussions, and the strategy will later be finalized. I would like to note that the document already includes some previously voiced regional proposals; in effect, a sufficiently active process involving all the concerned parties is underway," he said.

According to Krutikov, the draft Russian Arctic development strategy will be finalized by March 20, prior to submission to the Russian Security Council. In early June, the document will be unveiled at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

"The authorities of the Arctic regions, the academic community and experts were actively involved in drafting the strategy. A special website that was launched in August 2019 made it possible for any Russian citizen to submit proposals regarding the strategy. Residents of the Arctic territories put forward over 650 proposals; the document was therefore drafted in line with people's wishes. Every Arctic region later hosted public discussions on the document," Krutikov said.

We are preparing to submit the package of Arctic laws to the State Duma, he added. The Russian Government is to host the final stages of the coordination process soon. The legislative package envisions state support for entrepreneurial activity in the Russian Arctic, including tax and non-tax incentives for investors who are ready to channel at least ten million rubles into new Arctic economic projects.