2 March 2026

Belarusian scientists may join research on rare earth elements in Arctic

Belarusian scientists may take part in research on rare earth metals in the Arctic, Governor of Russia’s Murmansk Oblast Andrei Chibis told journalists following his meeting with Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko on 2 March, BelTA has learned.

“Kola Peninsula contains almost 80% of the periodic table. This is what is already known, but research continues. In this sense, the rare earth metals and mineral resources found in the Arctic, primarily on the Kola Peninsula, are also a potential area for joint projects [between Belarus and Murmansk Oblast],” Andrei Chibis said.

The governor also has a meeting scheduled with the leadership of the National Academy of Sciences during his visit to Belarus. According to him, one of the topics to be discussed with Belarusian scientists will be potential cooperation in this area. “This is one of the possible prospects for cooperation: to develop new technologies that would allow for more efficient extraction of mineral resources, without which neither today’s economy nor the economy of future generations is possible,” he noted.

belta.by