Arkhangelsk cannot accommodate the growing number of people taking part in The Arctic: Territory of Dialogue International Arctic Forum, so it was decided to hold it in St. Petersburg instead this year. However, the city wants to remain an Arctic forum venue in the future, Arkhangelsk Region Governor Igor Orlov told journalists.

During the meeting of the organizing committee chaired by Russian Deputy Prime Minister and Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy Yury Trutnev on Thursday, it was decided to move The Arctic: Territory of Dialogue forum from Arkhangelsk to St. Petersburg in April 2019 due to the large number of guests. According to the spokesperson of the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East, this decision was made given the larger number of guests and participants expected this year as well as the lack of Arkhangelsk hotels to accommodate them.

"The Arkhangelsk Region has fulfilled its tasks and responsibilities set by the organizing committee of the forum based on the projected parameters. However, today we can see the international community's growing interest in the Arctic and the forum's rising status, and therefore the organizational requirements have also changed," Orlov noted, commenting on the decision to move the forum venue.

According to Orlov, it is already clear that the number of participants in the 2019 forum will be significantly higher than expected.

"Arkhangelsk will hardly be able to provide the necessary conditions for guest accommodation, like any other Russian city except for Moscow and St. Petersburg. Nevertheless, we want to remain a forum venue: in even years, it will host a conference on natural resources and the environment in the Arctic," the governor added.

The Russian Far East Development Ministry spokesperson noted that this year the forum would be held at the Expoforum Convention and Exhibition Center in St. Petersburg, which has a hall with 3,000 seats for the plenary session and the space necessary to hold several protocol events with international delegations. As of today, 12 countries have confirmed their participation.