Russia: Putin hails the importance of Russia’s Antarctica expedition

Russian President Vladimir Putin held a teleconference in Moscow, Thursday, with the representatives of the Leaders Club to discuss their exploration of Antarctica.
During the conversation the Russian leader expressed his gratitude to the entrepreneurs of the Leaders Club and their support of the sciences, especially the fields involved in the exploration of the Antarctica. “I know that you have ideas on how to support our scientists, first of all, young scientists, and all other specialists who are busy with this promising research," Putin stated.
According to the president, the development of this territory as well as Russia’s presence there is “extremely important." He hopes that the Leaders Club initiative “will raise interest in the study of this continent and in our research in Antarctica”. Putin noted that “this is promising research because working in the Antarctic helps us to explore our planet” where “80 percent of all Earth’s fresh water is concentrated in glaciers.”
The Leaders Club organisation unites the entrepreneurs from 40 Russian regions. This is the second expedition of businessmen to Antarctic since 2014. This time about 100 people arrived to the mainland in order to outline the exact support measures required to implement the most important projects which should be done on the territory.