In his speech at the plenary session, President Vladimir Putin called on the states of the Arctic region to focus on the preservation of rare species of animals inhabiting these territories.

Sergei Shoigu, Russia’s Defence Minister and President of the Russian Geographical Society, also attended the forum. He promised that the projects to study white whales will be continued. “We’ve learnt all about the life of white whales in the Sea of Okhotsk, and from now on we’ll focus on the whales of the White Sea, whose environment is less than ideal,” Mr Shoigu said.

He also said that the Russian Geographical Society, in cooperation with the Marine Mammals Council, plans to work out recommendations to reduce the human impact on the Arctic wildlife.