At least 2.3 Bln rubles to be spent on Arctic clean-up - Putin
Arkhangelsk. July 30 (Interfax) - The financing of ecological programs in the Arctic may be increased if necessary, President Vladimir Putin said on Monday.
"We have earmarked 2.3 billion rubles for this work for 2012-2014. We will see how it progresses and may boost it by allocating additional funds," he told members of the First Arctic Expedition to the Franz Josef Land in Arkhangelsk.
The expedition will set off in early August and is scheduled to return in early October.
Putin confirmed that Russia has big Arctic development plans and called the upcoming research-ecological expedition, organized on his own initiative, a "landmark event".
"It [expedition] is proof our increasing activity in the Arctic. We intend to step up our efforts here along many avenues: we will develop new deposits, build infrastructure facilities, above all ports, roads and bridges, and of course, we will strengthen our military presence," he said.
At the same time, he pinpointed the need to observe a "balance between development and nature conservation", and pledged funds for the region's ecological security.