Development of Northern Sea Route to continue despite geopolitical problems - Russian official

ST. PETERSBURG. June 16 (Interfax) - Today's geopolitical situation will not affect the development of the Northern Sea Route, as all countries are interested in using it, and Russia is not going to hinder its use, Russian Presidential Special Envoy for Environmental Protection, Ecology and Transport Sergei Ivanov said.

"What impact will the current geopolitical situation have on the Northern Sea Route? My answer will be brief and clear: none," Ivanov said on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

"All countries of the world are interested equally, wholeheartedly and, above all, financially in using the Northern Sea Route," he said.

"And we, for our part, are not interested in prohibiting them to do it either, because we ourselves will lose enormous profit in this case," Ivanov said.

Unlike other sectors, Russia does not need to do any import substitution as far as the development of the Northern Sea Route is concerned, he said.

"The most important thing is not to scale down financing plans for the construction of icebreakers," he said.

In today's conditions, representatives of a large number of industries have applied for assistance from the budget, he said.

"The volume of cargoes [transported] along the Northern Sea Route grows year by year. This is a priority," Ivanov said.