The two-day International Arctic Forum has kicked off in St. Petersburg, gathering about 350 Russian and foreign businesses, as well as the region’s heads of state to work out the socioeconomic development of the region and multilateral mechanisms for the exploitation of its resources.
The forum is expected to be attended by around 300 Russian and 46 foreign businesses, along with the Finnish, Icelandic authorities, and Norwegian and Swedish prime ministers.
The main plenary session on "an ocean of opportunity" in the region will include special addresses from Russian President Vladimir Putin, Finnish President Sauli Niinisto, Icelandic leader Guoni Th. Johannesson, and prime ministers of Norway and Sweden — Erna Solberg and Stefan Lofven.
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