Participants in the forum will include President of Finland Sauli Niinistö, President of Iceland Olafur Grimsson, Patrick Borbey, chairman of the Arctic Council Senior Arctic Officials, President of the Russian Geographic Society and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, prominent Russian and foreign Arctic experts, and representatives of big companies working in the region.
Environmental security is the main theme of this year’s forum. The participants will discuss climate change scenarios in the Arctic, current pollution levels, the impact industrial development is having on indigenous peoples and legal regulatory aspects of environmental protection in the region.
The International Arctic Forum, The Arctic – A Territory for Dialogue, has been taking place at Mr Putin’s initiative every year since 2010. The event is organised by the Russian Geographic Society.
Mr Putin will hold talks on the forum’s sidelines with President of Iceland Olafur Grimsson to discuss bilateral cooperation, especially trade and economic relations, and examine the two countries’ policies on developing cooperation in the Arctic region.