The International Arctic Forum "The Arctic: Territory of Dialogue" will be held in Murmansk starting in 2027. Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin signed the corresponding decree . This decision builds on the successful experience of organizing the event in 2025.
"This is a huge step and a significant recognition of our joint work. This year, we held the forum under the motto "Live in the North!", and it was then that the President called Murmansk the capital of the Russian Arctic. Now we"re consolidating this status. The forum is a working platform where, together with our federal colleagues, we address real-world challenges: from economics and technology to logistics and the development of the Northern Sea Route. And holding the forum regularly in Murmansk means that key decisions on Arctic development will be made here, here in Russia," Murmansk Region Governor Andrey Chibis commented on the Russian government"s decision.
"Murmansk is the starting point of the Northern Sea Route, a vital strategic area for the development of the Russian Arctic. This year, the International Arctic Forum was successfully held here, attracting approximately 1,300 participants and media representatives from 21 countries, along with approximately 230 representatives of Russian and foreign businesses from more than 110 companies. We see growing interest in discussing the Arctic agenda. Our country is committed to mutually beneficial cooperation with all interested countries and is open to international collaboration. I am confident that the International Arctic Forum will continue to be a significant platform for discussing pressing issues on the Arctic agenda," emphasized Yuri Trutnev, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy to the Far Eastern Federal District, and Chairman of the Organizing Committee for the International Arctic Forum "The Arctic: Territory of Dialogue."
"Murmansk is Russia"s Arctic gateway. Holding 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 unified set of tax and administrative preferences. The Arctic accounts for approximately 6% of Russia"s GDP and approximately 10% of its total exports, thanks to the region"s resources. It plays a key role in shaping trade chains through the Northern Sea Route and ensures the country"s defense capability. Hosting the Forum will support the intensive development of infrastructure, innovation, and new economic opportunities in the Arctic region, which will have a multiplier effect for the entire country," emphasized Anton Kobyakov, Advisor to the President of the Russian Federation and Executive Secretary of the Organizing Committee for the International Arctic Forum "Arctic: Territory of Dialogue."
As a reminder, at the 2025 International Arctic Forum, the head of state announced a set of key decisions aimed at developing the Arctic: increasing the capacity of the Murmansk transport hub by at least threefold in the coming years, completing the gasification of the Murmansk region by 2030, and extending the renovation program for military garrisons and closed administrative-territorial entities (ZATOs) 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 Trans-Arctic Transport Corridor from St. Petersburg through Murmansk to Vladivostok. The Affordable Rental Housing program has been expanded to include key Arctic communities. Special funding mechanisms for medical care and urban development projects in the Arctic are envisaged.
All of these decisions were worked out in detail within the State Council Commission on the Northern Sea Route and the Arctic, chaired by Andrei Chibis.
The International Arctic Forum is a key international platform for discussing the socioeconomic development of the Arctic region, attracting investment, 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 the forum"s permanent venue was driven by a combination of factors. The hero city is the world"s largest city north of the Arctic Circle, home to the world"s only nuclear-powered 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 Arctic Basin ports, a key gateway to the Trans-Arctic Transport Corridor.
The Murmansk Region is the leader among Arctic regions in attracting investment from residents of the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation. The region hosts the first advanced development area in the Russian Arctic zone, "Capital of the Arctic." The region receives a third of all tourism to the Russian Arctic.
/ Ministry of Information Policy of the Murmansk Region /
