First Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov took part in a seminar entitled "Sustainable Development of Resources and Infrastructure on the Yamal Peninsula and the Kara Sea Shelf", which was held in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

In his speech opening the seminar, Mr Zubkov said: "It  is no secret that soon the Arctic, and initially the Yamal Peninsula and Kara Sea shelf will become one of our country's key gas producing regions. By 2020 their planned yield will total 20% of Russia's entire natural gas production."

"The experience that the 14 leading Dutch energy and infrastructure companies participating in the Delta project have accumulated in over a century of work on the international market and in Russia, is very valuable for Russia's exploration of its Arctic resources. We highly appreciate the initiative that the Dutch side has taken in jointly developing gas deposits on this territory," said the Deputy Prime Minister.

He said that the region had unique features which made the work more difficult as compared with other regions, including: the environment and climate, the existence of specially protected natural areas, as well as land inhabited and used traditionally by the indigenous peoples of the North.

As the First Deputy Prime Minister said, the Delta project focused on cooperation in technology and developing new gas deposits in Yamal and the Kara Sea shelf, as well as in establishing infrastructure facilities in these areas.

Dutch Minister for the Economy Maria Van Der Hoeven and executives from both countries' leading energy companies participated in the seminar.

Mr Zubkov is part of President Dmitry Medvedev's delegation on a working visit to the Netherlands.