The Arctic’s energy resources make it possible to predict its growing role in ensuring the global energy transition, said Nikolai Korchunov, Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Foreign Ministry and Chair of Arctic Council’s Committee of Senior Officials.

“We can confidently predict that the Arctic will play a greater role in promoting the global energy transition to a low-emission economy, primarily due to the presence of strategically important critical materials and resources in the Arctic <...>, as well as resources that are in demand in the context of the development of hydrogen and renewable energy,” he said at the forum The Arctic: Present and Future.

Korchunov noted that Russia has reservations about attempts by non-Arctic countries and structures to restrict economic activity, including Arctic maritime logistics in high latitudes, which negatively affects the development of the northern regions.

He added that the Arctic Council documents emphasize how important it is to diversify economic activity and ensure it is environmentally friendly and resource efficient. The Arctic is becoming a territory for creating and testing advanced energy-efficient technologies.