BEAC transport ministers meet in Arkhangelsk
© RIA Novosti. Ekaterina Vlasenko

BEAC transport ministers meet in Arkhangelsk

Arkhangelsk hosted the Barents Euro-Arctic Council (BEAC) meeting of the ministers of transport chaired by Russian Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov, the press service of the Arkhangelsk Region governor and government reported. The meeting was attended by representatives from Russia, Finland, Norway, Sweden and the European Union.

Minister Sokolov said a priority area of cooperation in developing the transport system of the region is safety. "The most pressing task is to improve traffic safety, which includes using global navigation satellite systems and traffic accident response systems. This also implies new international auto routes in the Barents Region," Sokolov added. To better address the issue, the minister proposed coordinating the Russian ERA-GLONASS emergency response system with the European e-Call system. 

Sokolov noted that the Russian Government is implementing major infrastructure projects in the northern regions under the national Transport Strategy to 2030. "Above all, this is a promising Belkomur project that is widely discussed internationally. It includes a railway that will pass through the Arkhangelsk Region, among others, that will connect the national rail system to the deep-water port," the minister said, noting that the Northern Sea Route remains the main transport corridor connecting Russia's polar regions.

The minister reminded that last year, the Russian Government approved an integrated project for the development of the Northern Sea Route. Its implementation will ensure the safe transportation of cargo and the delivery of oil and gas produced on the Arctic coast and the continental shelf in the next decade.