St. Petersburg proposed as home of Arctic management centre

St. Petersburg authorities have proposed establishing a special Arctic management centre in the city to help Arctic regions develop in a full and comprehensive manner, Deputy Chairman of the St. Petersburg Transport Committee Alexei Lvov said during a meeting at the local Russian Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy’s office, Interfax reports.

“We nevertheless believe that a certain centre is needed to manage the Arctic regions. The status of how it will be formulated – as a state authority or state corporation – is a matter for discussion”, Lvov said.

Taking into account the city’s information and intellectual potential, the St. Petersburg authorities are ready to suggest that the country consider the possibility of locating such a centre on its territory, Lvov said.

Russian Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy in the North-Western Federal District Nikolai Tsukanov supported the proposal, adding that the city has all the necessary potential to become the Arctic management centre.

“I believe St. Petersburg is the best place to locate Arctic management systems”, he said.

Tsukanov also noted that the initiative needs to be discussed with the district’s regional governors and scientific community before making a proposal to the Russian presidential administration.