Russia and India plan to intensify research in the Arctic
Due to the deterioration in relations with the countries of the “collective West”, Russia is faced with an important decision. How and with whom to develop the High North? Russia is facing a dilemma. What to do as traditional Arctic partners refuse to continue working with Russia and new partners have to be found?
Russia and India are now discussing a joint project in the Arctic, the scientific significance of which, according to experts, should be comparable to the International Space Station (ISS). Alexander Makarov, Director of the Russian Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI), spoke about this after his trip to India. Russia and India have long been cooperating in the Antarctic under an agreement that could now be expanded.
Alexander Makarov: “A series of working meetings with representatives of scientific institutes in India will begin in the near future. Russian-Indian cooperation in the Arctic could have a long-term perspective”.
Negotiations with representatives of the Indian National Center for Polar and Ocean Research took place in the city of Vasco da Gama (Goa). According to Alexander Markov, Russia has a powerful research project in the Arctic with its “Severny Polyus” drift station. The work of the scientific teams is facilitated by the ice-going platform and state-of-the-art equipment and technology.
As Alexander Makarov explained, the interest of Indian scientists in the Arctic has increased significantly in recent times, as climate change in the Arctic affects the monsoon system in India and this has noticeable consequences for agriculture. Scientists have noted a shift in the seasonality and intensity of the monsoon and the increased occurrence of heatwaves, which have an impact on the lives of the Indian population.
The Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI) in St. Petersburg, Russia, is one of the world’s leading scientific centers for research into the polar regions with a history stretching back more than a century.
The National Center for Polar and Oceanic Research is an autonomous Indian research institution under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, located in the city of Vasco da Gama (Goa). It is responsible for the administration of the Republic’s Antarctic program and maintains India’s Antarctic research stations.
Heiner Kubny, PolarJournal
