The president, who headed a meeting on the development of Arctic cities and several other regions, reiterated that he has already referred on multiple occasions to the relevance of these territories for the stability of Russia’s defense and economy, according to Sputnik agency on Friday.

Putin admitted that the Arctic has many problems to solve, such as the deterioration of infrastructure and housing, as well as the population decrease in many of these localities.

In this context, he stressed the need to rebuild cities in the region and ensure that citizens have jobs there.

In addition, he called for agreement by September 1 on a plan for the development of energy and social infrastructure in the area.

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