OREANDA-NEWS. March 22, 2012. OJSC Verkhnechonskneftegaz (VCNG) (a subsidiary of TNK-BP) has joined the Board of Trustees of the East Siberian Branch of the Russian Geographical Society (ESRGS), reported the press-centre of TNK-BP.

Together with the other trustees, the company will sel ect and fund the most promising projects in the fields of geography, local history and ecology. Research groups have already submitted 25 applications for grants fr om the ESRGS.

“In the context of its ongoing socio-economic policy TNK-BP is ready to support the Russian Geographical Society in two main areas of activity – scientific research and the environment. Our collaboration once again confirms that the company is an integral part of the community in Irkutsk region”, said Igor Rustamov, VCNG General Director.

The Russian Geographical Society is the oldest public organization in Russia and one of the oldest geographical societies in the world. Its main function is to gather and disseminate accurate geographical information. Russian Geographical Society expeditions have played a major role in the exploration of Siberia, the Far East, Central Asia and the World Ocean, the development of navigation, the discovery and study of new lands, and the evolution of meteorology and climatology.