The Government of the Republic of Armenia hosted a meeting between the Governor of the Murmansk Region Andrey Chibis and Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan. The parties discussed the directions and prospects of cooperation.
"The main purpose of the visit is to strengthen the ties that already exist. Interaction with colleagues and industrialists is especially valuable and important for us. Given the powerful economic potential of the Arctic, we may also have new directions and prospects for cooperation," Andrei Chibis said.
Mher Grigoryan stressed that the visit of the Murmansk Region delegation will have a positive impact on the expansion of interregional cooperation.
"Business relations between the regions of Russia and Armenia are a solid foundation for strengthening our friendly relations. I am sure that we will find many points of contact with you that can be revealed," the Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia stressed.
"The Kola Arctic is a real treasure trove of Russia. Share in all-Russian production: 100% apatite, nepheline, loparite concentrates, 95% nickel. The lithium Kolmozerskoye deposit is the largest in the country. Norilsk Nickel and Rosatom plan to implement joint projects to develop this area and further deep processing of lithium raw materials. In addition, 32% of the raw materials for fertilizers from apatite concentrate are extracted from us. They are effective for the development of agriculture. I think this is a topic for joint development," Andrei Chibis said.
The head of the region also spoke about the activities of fishing companies in the region.
"Fishing is actively developing, over the past five years the region has increased the indicator for the growth of marine aquaculture four times. There is also a very promising point for cooperation here – joint production of feed, as well as supply from Armenia for our enterprises," the governor stressed.
Mher Grigoryan noted that it will be useful for the development of business projects.
Andrey Chibis singled out the prospects for entrepreneurs in the region.
"We have one of the most attractive investment climates in the country. There are such preferential regimes as the TOP "Capital of the Arctic" and the Russian Arctic. In addition, in 2020 we have reduced a number of taxes for medium and small businesses. The project investment portfolio of the Murmansk region contains 280 projects with an investment volume of about 1.2 trillion rubles until 2032. The region is the absolute leader in the number of residents of the Russian Arctic. Investors have already invested about 170 billion rubles and created 4,700 jobs," Andrey Chibis stressed.
The head of the region expressed confidence that Armenia can supply the necessary components, spare parts and equipment necessary for our industries and enterprises.
Also among the directions is the development of cross–tourism and the development of direct flights between the Murmansk region and Armenia.
"We have a serious load of airports, we are starting the construction of a new terminal in Murmansk. The topic of cross–tourism is perspective. We have new facilities, the hospitality industry is developing, points of attraction are being created," the head of the region noted.
"There is a deep-water ice-free port in Murmansk. In addition, the entire region is part of the Arctic zone. We also have two airports, three seaports – two in the White Sea and one in the Barents Sea, railway traffic is provided. The Murmansk seaport is among the TOP 5 in terms of cargo transshipment volumes in Russia. In addition, Russia's nuclear icebreaker fleet is based here, which ensures uninterrupted navigation along the Northern Sea Route," the governor noted.
The head of the region also dwelt in detail on the strategic projects being implemented in the Kola Arctic and the economic potential of the region.
"We have an anchor resident of the TOP "Capital of the Arctic" – NOVATEK company. They are building unique facilities for the production of liquefied natural gas. Also, the most involved companies in the social development of the region are Norilsk Nickel, Apatit, Eurochem, Rosatom," Andrey Chibis said.
Another significant project is the Murmansk Transport Hub.
"Our task is to master the western shore of the Kola Bay in order to increase the volume of cargo transshipment. This requires the necessary infrastructure of energy and water supply. The President of Russia supported us, the federal government additionally allocated 37.7 billion rubles for its construction," the governor stressed.
The head of the region noted that Murmansk is the base and the start for the development of the Northern Sea Route. Andrey Chibis noted that the head of state has developed a separate plan for the development of the strategic route. Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin, during talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, announced the readiness of Russia and China to create a joint working body on the development of the Northern Sea Route.
Andrey Chibis noted that the Murmansk Region is actively developing relations with other friendly countries. Thus, a number of agreements on trade, economic, scientific, technical and socio-cultural cooperation between the Republic of Belarus and the region were signed.
/ Ministry of Information Policy of the Murmansk Region /