Norway Takes Over Presidency of Arctic Council From Russia

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Norway took over the Arctic Council’s rotating presidency from Russia on Thursday amid considerations that the work of the eight-country intergovernmental physique on defending the delicate atmosphere is in danger due to suspension of cooperation with Moscow over the battle in Ukraine.

In March 2022, seven western members of the Arctic Council which doesn’t take care of safety points however makes binding agreements on environmental safety and offers a voice to the Indigenous peoples of the Arctic area, suspended their participation within the intergovernmental physique in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine a month earlier.

The international locations — Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and the USA — mentioned that they would not ship representatives to the council’s conferences in Russia — the world’s largest Arctic state — though they remained satisfied of the worth of Arctic cooperation.

Analysis involving Russia, starting from local weather work to mapping polar bears, has been placed on maintain, and scientists have misplaced entry to vital amenities within the Russian Arctic.

The Arctic Council, which covers an space residence to greater than 4 million individuals, is without doubt one of the solely locations the place Russia sits on the identical desk as Western international locations.

Throughout Russia’s two-year chairmanship, the Arctic Council confronted the best risk to its existence because it was created in 1996.

That would have implications for the Arctic atmosphere, with melting sea ice and the curiosity of non-Arctic international locations within the huge area’s largely untapped mineral assets. The area additionally might see new naval passageways and new alternatives for commerce, as journey time for ships between Asia and the West may very well be noticeably slashed.

Danish International Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen just lately mentioned that the council was “limping alongside a bit. However there may be actually no different.”

“It’s a large problem for Norway. They should isolate Russia and on the identical time they’ve to verify to not provoke Russia to dissolve the Council,” mentioned Rasmus Gjedssø Bertelsen, of the Arctic College of Norway in Tromsoe.

And on high of the member states, six organizations representing Arctic Indigenous peoples have standing as everlasting members.

Gjedssø Bertelsen feared that Indigenous peoples would possibly “lose an vital discussion board and a distinguished platform,” including that most of the teams are cross-border organizations and do not comply with nationwide borders.

A number of international locations like France, Germany, China, Japan, India and Korea attend the conferences of the Arctic Council as observers, which means worldwide politics is one other problem for Norway’s presidency, he instructed The Related Press.

A safety coverage knowledgeable on polar areas, Dwayne Ryan Menezes, warned that with Norway taking up, the discussion board’s issues received’t go away.

The Scandinavian nation ”clearly acknowledges the challenges that lie forward, particularly with respect to the way forward for Arctic cooperation by way of the Arctic Council at a time when cooperation with Russia continues to be suspended,” he mentioned.

“However it’ll make it doable for almost all of member states to have a detailed working relationship with the chair as soon as once more, which is able to help the discussion board’s work of selling cooperation and coordination,” he mentioned.

“Norway will proceed to give attention to the core points the Council offers with, together with the impacts of local weather change, sustainable growth and efforts to boost the well-being of individuals dwelling within the area,” Huitfeldt mentioned.

She vowed “to renew its vital work throughout Norway’s interval as chair. Along with the opposite member states, we’ll now discover how this may be achieved in apply.”

Formally, the thirteenth assembly of the Arctic Council was held in Salekhard, Russia, however not like in 2021, when the Icelandic international minister handed over a picket hammer to Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov as Iceland handed on the chairmanship baton, Thursday’s attendees have been the taking part international locations’ Arctic ambassadors — not international ministers — who met in a web based occasion.

That assembly issued a press release “recognizing the historic and distinctive position of the Arctic Council for constructive cooperation, stability and dialogue between individuals within the Arctic area.” However there was no point out of Ukraine.

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