Official: All relevant bodies back private investors on Arctic shelf

MOSCOW, Aug 27 (PRIME) -- The relevant government bodies supported allowing private investors to work on the Arctic shelf in addition to Gazprom, Rosneft, and Gazprom Neft at a government meeting on Monday, Deputy Prime Minister Yury Trutnev said on Tuesday.

“The most important thing is whether we allow other companies besides Gazprom, Rosneft and Gazprom Neft to work on the shelf. Yesterday, at a government meeting, at a meeting that we held with Dmitry Nikolayevich (Kozak), - all departments spoke out in favor of expanding the parties,” Trutnev said.

“At the same time, this principal decision will not be made by Dmitry Nikolayevich and me, but the president of the Russian Federation. We have now a right to submit a report to him. Nevertheless, I believe that yesterday’s meeting was important, because we received the government’s consolidated position,” Trutnev said.

Deputy Far East Development Minister Alexander Krutikov said on Monday that the Russian government will develop a bill to allow private investors to work on the Arctic shelf.

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