Putin Wants Northern Sea Route Hubs

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday invited foreign investors to take part in the construction of port infrastructure in Murmansk and Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky that would serve the Northern Sea Route.

Speaking at an Arctic forum in the Russian city of St Petersburg, Putin also asked the government to draw up plans for tax relief that would promote the development of the Arctic region.

"We invite our foreign partners to joint work to create port hubs at the end points of the (Northern Sea) route," Putin said.

(Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin and Gleb Stolyarov; Writing by Tom Balmforth; editing by Maria Kiselyova)