The Kingdom of Denmark's Upcoming Arctic Council Chairship: Indigenous and Arctic People at the Top of the Agenda The Kingdom of Denmark takes over the chairship of the Arctic Council next month. "We will work diligently to keep the council vibrant and resilient, first and foremost for the Indigenous Peoples and inhabitants of the Arctic," states the realm, with Greenland at the forefront.
Greenlandic Top Politician On Trump: "You Cannot Own or Control, but Have a Partnership" Tromsø (High North News): "We need stability now," says Aaja Chemnitz, Greenlandic Member of the Danish Parliament. Together with Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski, she states that the US must consider Greenland an ally, not an asset.
The Arctic Council With New Decisive Step Forward All Arctic countries agree that the Arctic Council's working groups can resume meetings in a virtual format. “This is critical in enabling the council to effectively respond to rapid climate change and other urgent issues,” says Morten Høglund, who leads the council under Norway's chairship.
Seeking Consensus for More Efficient Arctic Cooperation Russia suspends payments to the Arctic Council until it resumes "full-fledged work." Norway seeks to achieve agreement among all member states on more efficient interaction. "We have recently sent out a proposal for new guidelines," states Morten Høglund, who leads the council under Norway's chairship.
Light at the End of the Tunnel for the Arctic Council All Arctic countries have agreed on new guidelines that allow the Arctic Council's working groups to resume their activities. "This is an important breakthrough," says Morten Høglund, who leads the council under Norway's chairship.
The Norwegian MFA Creates Position in Tromsø in Connection With the Arctic Council Chairship Norway took over the chairship of the Arctic Council earlier in May. Now, the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is establishing a project position for the chairship period in Tromsø, Northern Norway.
Russia: “The Risk of Weakening the Arctic Council Should Not Be Underestimated” On Thursday, Norway took over the Chairship of the Arctic Council from Russia. "The future of the council and cooperation within this format under Norwegian chairship appear uncertain," said Nikolay Korchunov, Russian Arctic Ambassador, to High North News on Wednesday.
Russia's Top Arctic Diplomat: Long-Term Cooperation in the Arctic Requires Conditions Now Lost Even if the Arctic Council’s activities are resumed, the development of long-term cooperation with the Western Arctic states is hard to imagine, says Nikolay Korchunov, Russia's Arctic Ambassador. He points to a lack of trust.
Norway: Russia Acting Constructively Regarding Transfer of Arctic Council Chairship In May, Norway is scheduled to take over the chairship of the Arctic Council from Russia. The cooperation with the Russian side regarding the practical transfer of the chairship is going well, says Morten Høglund, the Norwegian Senior Arctic Official.
Russia's Top Arctic Diplomat: We Still Consider the Arctic Council an Important Forum Russia still considers the Arctic Council a significant cooperation format, says Nikolay Korchunov, the country's Arctic ambassador. This bodes well for the transition of chairship of the council to Norway, believes FNI Researcher Svein Vigeland Rottem.
