Putin: Russia Must Strengthen Position In Arctic

Putin: Russia Must Strengthen Position In Arctic
ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA - JUNE 5: Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives to speak on Arctic developement in the Russian Geographical Society on June 5, 2014 in St. Petersburg, Russia. Putin is later flying to France to participate in the celebrations of the 70th Anniversary of the D-Day landings commemorated in Normandy. (Photo by Sasha Mordovets/Getty Images)
ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA - JUNE 5: Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives to speak on Arctic developement in the Russian Geographical Society on June 5, 2014 in St. Petersburg, Russia. Putin is later flying to France to participate in the celebrations of the 70th Anniversary of the D-Day landings commemorated in Normandy. (Photo by Sasha Mordovets/Getty Images)

LAKE SELIGER, Russia, Aug 29 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Moscow had to strengthen its position, economically and militarily, in the resource rich Arctic region, where other countries are vying for influence.

"Our interests are concentrated in the Arctic. And of course we should pay more attention to issues of development of the Arctic and the strengthening of our position (there)," Putin told a youth camp outside Moscow, enumerating military and economic plans for Russia's Arctic.

(Reporting by Alexei Anishchuk, Writing by Thomas Grove; Editing by Christian Lowe)

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