Russia and China will sign a cooperation agreement on the Arctic station “Snezhinka”

2023-09-17 09:26:22

Russia and China plan to conclude a cooperation agreement on the Arctic station “Snezhinka”, RIA Novosti reports. This was announced by the Ambassador at Large of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nikolai Korchunov. He noted that plans to create the station continue to be discussed as construction of the facility in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug continues.

As the diplomat emphasized, the Chinese side is showing special interest in the project. During the latest round of Russian-Chinese consultations on the Arctic, held on September 7, the construction of the station was discussed. The parties have reached agreement on a draft cooperation agreement, and issues of signing the document, including timing and place, are currently being considered. Scientific and educational organizations, as well as companies from China, will be able to participate in the project.

Korchunov also noted that Russia is open to the development of scientific cooperation in the Arctic and will consider proposals from other countries for cooperation within the framework of the Snowflake project.

The international Arctic station “Snezhinka” is being created on the initiative of the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, as indicated on the project website. This is a year-round and completely energy-autonomous complex based on renewable energy sources and hydrogen energy, without the use of diesel. Its goal is to create a platform for testing and demonstrating environmentally friendly life support technologies, robotics, telecommunications, medicine, biotechnology, new materials and solutions with artificial intelligence. The station is designed for 80 people and is expected to become a place for cooperation among scientists.