The Organizing Committee for the 5th ‘Arctic: Territory of Dialogue’ International Arctic Forum, chaired by St. Petersburg Vice Governor Eduard Batanov, met in St. Petersburg on 21 February. The meeting was attended by representatives of committees and city agencies involved in organizing the Forum.
The meeting covered the delegation of responsibilities in order to effectively prepare for the International Arctic Forum 2019, ways to collaborate on addressing the most important organizational questions, and the creation of an event plan for preparing St. Petersburg’s infrastructure. In the interest of coordinating the actions of St. Petersburg’s executive governing bodies, the committee made the preliminary decision to form a working group and confirmed a plan for further action. The Vice Governor also called on agencies to provide guests with comfortable conditions for working on development projects for the Russian Arctic.
A special working group was created to coordinate planning events for the 5th ‘Arctic: Territory of Dialogue’ International Arctic Forum. «The Forum is extremely important to strengthening and directing the global economic and social growth of Russia’s Arctic regions. The central occasion in the series of events will be a plenary session with President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin,» said Adviser to the President of the Russian Federation Anton Kobyakov, commenting on the working group’s responsibilities. «The platform for international discussions on these issues was transferred to St. Petersburg, and now it is of utmost importance to organize a business and cultural programme of the highest calibre. I am certain that the agencies of Russia’s ’northern capital’ are ready to implement the plan of action we prepared today.»
The committee also considered the logistical details of International Arctic Forum 2019 guest and participant movement through Pulkovo Airport, paying particular attention to security and time efficiency. The provision of timely and high-quality medical aid, should it be necessary, was also addressed, in addition to the preparation of the EXPOFORUM conference and exhibition centre, and the hotel and service infrastructure in the city as a whole. The meeting touched on the preparation of the Forum’s Cultural and Sporting Programmes, which have already become cornerstones of international business events in St. Petersburg for guests and participants.
The 5th ‘Arctic: Territory of Dialogue’ International Arctic Forum will be held on 9–10 April 2019 in St. Petersburg.
