The country must "expand activity in every sector - geology, prospecting, hydrometeorology, military science, studies of nature, global warming research, whatever it may be, but we need to be there all the time," Murmansk Region Governor Yury Evdokimov said.
Russia has claimed ownership of a vast swathe of neutral Arctic territory, believed to hold vast oil and gas reserves, as the continuation of the country's continental shelf.
"Under existing provisions, the UN commission will decide on the borders of the Arctic shelf no sooner than 2020. The situation could change considerably during this time, so Russia must not leave the Arctic under any circumstances," he said.
He said that because of the desire to develop Arctic oil and gas deposits, the area is growing increasingly attractive for many countries.
He warned that Russia should not be misled by the outcome of a ministerial meeting of the five states bordering on the Arctic Ocean, held in Greenland in late May, which reiterated commitment to existing rules and treaties, including the 1982 United Nation Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Yevdokimov said no countries want to accept the fact that Russia's sector of the Arctic is the richest, with around 30 oil and gas deposits discovered to date. He said there is a danger of a conflict of interests in the Arctic.
"Continental resources are depleting, and attempts to use bio-fuels in the long run lead to food shortages; solar and wind energy can be applied only in limited areas and to a limited degree, while oil and gas have been the main source of energy and will continue to be so for decades," the governor said.
Under the Law of the Sea, coastal states hold sovereignty over a zone of 200 nautical mile (370 km) limit, but this area can be extended if it is a part of the country's continental shelf or shallower waters. Some Arctic shelves extend for hundreds of miles, creating a possibility of overlapping territorial claims.
Last August, as part of a scientific expedition, two Russian mini-subs made a symbolic eight-hour dive beneath the North Pole to bolster the country's claim that the Arctic's Lomonosov Ridge lies in the country's economic zone. A titanium Russian flag was also planted on the seabed. Russia first claimed the territory in 2001, but the UN demanded more evidence.
The expedition's findings were dismissed by a number of Western countries, particularly Canada.
