The International Arctic Forum "The Arctic – the Territory of Dialogue" will be held in Murmansk from 2027. The corresponding decree was signed by the Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation Mikhail Mishustin. This decision is a continuation of the successful experience of organizing the event in 2025.
"This is a huge step and a great appreciation of our joint work. This year we held a forum under the slogan "Live in the North!", and it was then that the President named Murmansk the capital of the Russian Arctic. Now we are consolidating this status. The Forum is a working platform where, together with our federal colleagues, we solve real problems: from economics and technology to logistics and the development of the Northern Sea Route. And the permanent holding of the forum in Murmansk means that key decisions on the development of the Arctic will be made here, here," commented Andrey Chibis, Governor of the Murmansk Region, on the decision of the Government of the Russian Federation.
"Murmansk is the starting point of the Northern Sea Route, an important strategic territory for the development of the Russian Arctic. This year, the International Arctic Forum was successfully held here – about 1.3 thousand participants and media representatives from 21 countries, about 230 representatives of Russian and foreign businesses from more than 110 companies. We can see how interest in discussing the Arctic agenda is growing. Our country is committed to mutually beneficial cooperation with all interested countries and is open to international cooperation. I am confident that the International Arctic Forum will continue to be a significant platform for discussing topical issues on the Arctic agenda," said Yuri Trutnev, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, Presidential Plenipotentiary Representative in the Far Eastern Federal District, Chairman of the Organizing Committee for the Preparation and Holding of the International Arctic Forum "Arctic – Territory of Dialogue".
"Murmansk is the Arctic gateway of Russia. The holding of the International Arctic Forum in the region symbolizes not only the development of key Arctic projects, but also the importance of the world's largest economic zone with a single set of tax and administrative preferences. The Arctic accounts for about 6% of Russia's GDP and about 10% of total exports from the region's resources. It plays a key role in the formation of trade chains through the Northern Sea Route and ensures the country's defense capability. The Forum will support the intensive development of infrastructure, innovations and new economic opportunities in the Arctic region, which will have a multiplier effect for the whole country," said Anton Kobyakov, Adviser to the President of the Russian Federation, Executive Secretary of the Organizing Committee for the Preparation and Holding of the International Arctic Forum "Arctic – Territory of Dialogue".
Recall that at IAF-2025, the head of state announced a set of fundamental decisions aimed at developing the Arctic: increasing the capacity of the Murmansk transport hub by at least three times in the coming years, completing gasification of the Murmansk region by 2030, extending the program of renovation of military garrisons and facilities in the Arctic until 2030 with annual funding of at least 10 billion rubles. The Northern Sea Route has been identified as a key section of the Transarctic transport corridor from St. Petersburg through Murmansk to Vladivostok. The Affordable Rental Housing program has been expanded to the mainstay settlements of the Arctic. It provides for the creation of special financing mechanisms for medical care and urban environment projects in the Arctic.
All these decisions were worked out in detail within the framework of the State Council commission on the Northern Sea Route and the Arctic, chaired by Andrey Chibis.
The IAF is a key international platform for discussing the socio-economic development of the Arctic region, attracting investments and establishing international cooperation. The Forum is organized by the Roscongress Foundation with the support of the Government of the Russian Federation.
The choice of Murmansk as a permanent forum site is determined by a combination of factors. Hero City is the world's largest city beyond the Arctic Circle, home to the world's only nuclear icebreaker fleet and the Northern Fleet. The port of Murmansk is the only ice–free port in the Russian Arctic and the leader in cargo turnover among the ports of the Arctic basin, the key gateway to the Transarctic transport corridor.
The Murmansk Region is the leader in attracting investments by residents of the Russian Arctic among the Arctic regions. The Capital of the Arctic, the first territory of advanced development in the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation, has been created on the territory of the region. The region receives a third of the total tourist flow to the Russian Arctic.
/ Ministry of Information Policy of the Murmansk Region /