On November 3, the Executive Director of the Northern Forum Vladimir Vasilev met with the Head of the St. Petersburg Committee on Arctic Affairs German Shirokov. The meeting was attended by Elena Aseeva, First Deputy Chairman of the Committee, Sergey Nikolaev, Head of the Department for Development of Cooperation with the Arctic Region, and Yury Kravtsov, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) to the President of the Russian Federation.
After the presentation of the current state and prospects for the development of the Northern Forum, the parties discussed the possibility of restoring membership in the Northern Forum, considered areas in which Saint Petersburg could be included for the benefit of the city, and expanding cooperation in the Arctic.
The Northern Forum has significantly strengthened its position in the system of international organizations in the Arctic, improving its structure, responding flexibly to the challenges of the time, despite the difficult international situation. The pivot to Asia, in accordance with the new Development Concept, is already attracting regions and organizations from China, India, and the Republic of Korea. The government of Saint Petersburg is interested in participating in the activities of the newly created Russian-Asian Consortium for Arctic Research, in the work of the IV Northern Sustainable Development Forum. In turn, the Northern Forum can be positioned more actively on the sites of major forums held in Saint Petersburg.
In the end, the understanding of the importance of Saint Petersburg's participation in supporting international interregional cooperation within the framework of the Northern Forum has been reached. And the parties expressed their readiness for a detailed study of the issue and preparation of the necessary materials for a decision by the leadership of the region.
Saint Petersburg was an active member of the Northern Forum from 1999 to 2008, created and supported the activities of the Associated Secretariat of the Northern Forum, in 2003 hosted the General Assembly of the organization and participated in many projects and events.