Moscow welcomes the presence of Beijing and New Delhi in the Arctic region and is ready to develop cooperation with them in this area. This was stated by Nikolay Korchunov, Ambassador-at-large of the Foreign Ministry of the Russian Federation, at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), TASS reported.

According to Korchunov, the Russian side notes how 'among Asian countries, countries such as China and India, strategic partners of the Russian Federation, are now playing a leading role in the Arctic, in science and in cultural relations.'

He recalled that the Russian-Asian Arctic Research Consortium, headquartered in Yakutsk, has already been established to promote cooperation.