Problems of the North are primarily connected with the living conditions of people, environment and economy. Today are palpable the consequences of the country’s leadership decision taken in the mid-1990s on production decommissioning of these areas. At that time gold mines were closed, the Northern Sea Route was disbanded and many social organizations were abolished; but despite all these difficulties the people didn’t leave their habitual residence remaining faithful to their roots and traditions. The problems of the Arctic and the Far North, how forgotten areas of the Far North are acquiring a “second breath”, why to cooperate with Alaska and how it is possible to reduce significantly the way from the Asia-Pacific region to Europe — all these items were covered by the Head of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia) Yegor Borisov in his interview with the “ES” magazine.

Natural resources and transit potential of the Russian Far East provides ample opportunities for Russia to become in the future one of the leaders of the global economy and already today — an active participant in dynamically developing Asia-Pacific region. Very rich natural resources are focused on the vast territory of the Far East, an area greater than the whole of Europe. The plans for long-term economic growth and prosperity of the country, for improving life of the Russian citizens are associated with development and use of these resources. In his interview with the parliamentary columnist of the “ES” magazine Valentina Nicholskaya the chairman of the State Duma Committee on regional policy and the North and the Far East problems Nikolay Kharitonov told about peculiarities of the region development strategy, about priority of its labor potential presevation.