Russia continues to expand its presence in the Arctic, to develop the continental shelf and mineral deposits and protect its national interests in this region, RIA Novosti reported, citing Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.

"We continue to expand Russia's presence in the Arctic, to develop the continental shelf and new deposits of strategic metals and other mineral resources, build the social and transport infrastructure, including the Northern Sea Route, the shortest shipping lane between European and Asian ports. And, of course, we protect other Russian interests," Medvedev told participants in a meeting on Arctic development.

The development of this region requires the coordinated efforts of the state, the Arctic regions and the business community, he noted.

He recalled that in 2014, the government approved a program for Arctic socioeconomic development until 2020. In his words, this document is analytical and is not sufficient for developing this Russian region.

"The Ministry of Economic Development has drafted a revised program that contains specific objectives and, most importantly, the tools to achieve them, including the financial tools," Medvedev said and offered to discuss the document.

We need to review various issues regarding Arctic development in transportation, science, environmental protection and tourism, and the creation of the infrastructure, including the possibility of using dual-purpose infrastructure," he noted.

"We'll discuss the proposals of the ministries for unlocking the potential of each area. After that, we'll follow through on these items under this new program, provided that we agree on them today and can start working on them," Medvedev said and noted that the State Commission on Arctic Development also needs to take part in this process.