Ræða Bjarna Benediktssonar á fundi á vegum Grænlensk-íslenska viðskiptaráðsins 15. janúar 2014. Ræðan er á ensku.

Talað orð gildir/Spoken word prevails

Esteemed colleague, Vittus Qujaukitsoq, Minister of Finance of Greenland –  Dear participants:  I would like to thank the Greenlandic-Icelandic Chamber of Commerce for arranging and calling this meeting.  The role of the Chamber of Commerce is to promote trade and economic co-operation between our countries, and at the present time it is even more urgent than ever to strengthen and expand the good relations between these countries.

Relations between Greenland and Iceland rest on a solid foundation.  The two countries are close neighbours in the North Atlantic, and both countries are, each in its own way, outposts of civilisation and culture in this region.  The connection between the two countries is also permanently enshrined in Iceland's literary legacy.  Ari Fróði's Íslendingabók includes an account of the arrival of Erik the Red and other Nordic settlers in Greenland in the tenth century.  The voyagers settled on the western coast of Greenland, more or less in direct continuation of the settlement of Iceland from Norway.  They were of course preceded by the ancestors of today's Greenlanders, who embody one of the most impressive and admirable manifestations of the resourcefulness and adaptability of the human race. The struggle for life and co-habitation with nature in Greenland was no easy matter without the support of modern technology and modern equipment.

The voyages of the Nordic explorers to Greenland and Vinland are recounted in the Saga of the Greenlanders and the Saga of Erik the Red.  The Book of the Greenlanders recounts the story of the discovery of America, and archaeological finds in L'Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland are believed to have confirmed this account.

 The voyages to Greenland stopped in the early fifteenth century, and when explorers arrived in Greenland two centuries later they found only the ruins of old farmhouses. The fate of the settlers in Greenland remains a mystery.

I am recalling these historical facts because I believe they are important and because we need to focus increased attention on promoting cultural relations between our countries.  Doing so would enhance our mutual knowledge and understanding of one and other and this would be an important element of strengthening our co-operation.

The current relations between Greenland and Iceland are based, to be sure, on mutual interests and respect between closely linked friendly nations. However, despite the geographical proximity, these relation have been less prominent than they should have been.  Possibly, the principal reason for this lies in the lack of regular transportation.  Most people probably do not realise that the shortest distance between Iceland and Greenland is only about 290 km – about a three hours' drive on a good Icelandic road – and the distance between Nuuk and Reykjavik is 1430 km.

Scheduled flights between the two countries have increased greatly in recent years and there is a desire among airline operators of both countries to increase them still further. 

Just a few years ago, Icelanders had to fly to Copenhagen and then back across the Atlantic to Greenland.  This is now a thing of the past.  There are now five flights each week in the summer between the capital cities of the two countries. 

I am mentioning transportation because I believe that it is a factor that has to be taken into account in any discussions about strengthening business and cultural relations between the two countries.  In this context, the question of maritime transportation also needs to be addressed.  In my opinion, closer co-operation on maritime transportation is of equal importance as air transport.  This applies both to traditional shipping of consumer merchandise and goods, including marine products, for external markets and also to other shipping which is foreseeable in the near future.  I am referring to the economic changes that will result from global warming and the receding ice in the Arctic Ocean.

It is urgent for us to work together on research and on finding solutions to the challenges that will come with the warming of our environment.  It is evident that there will be changes in the biosphere. Fish stocks will migrate further north, bringing new opportunities but also threatening an ecology that has survived in the equilibrium of the climate of past centuries.  The survival of the populations and their culture will face dangers.  These two opposing factors will need to be assessed in context and with judiciousness.

Interest in the Arctic region has increased in recent years.  Tourism has grown rapidly in Iceland, as in Greenland, fuelled by the unique features of the two countries.  To give an example, the largest national park in the world is located in north-eastern Greenland, and the largest national park of Europe is located in Iceland.  There is an old anecdote about a famous entrepreneur in Iceland who tried to sell the Northern Lights to foreigners – and now this has happened, although indirectly, as tourists flock to Iceland to experience the strong emotions aroused by the spectacle of the Aurora Borealis. Also, arrivals of cruising liners has proven a strong source of income for many of the ports around Iceland, with about 93,000 passengers visiting Iceland last year.  Increased co-operation between Greenland and Iceland in marketing the Arctic based on their geographic and cultural features would strengthen both countries.

In addition to co-operation in culture, the arts and the creative industries, I believe it is important to strengthen our co-operation in innovation and economic development.  Research and innovation are flourishing in Iceland, following a surge in growth in the years of economic straits since 2008.  I believe that Iceland and Greenland should explore the possibilities of developing their co-operation in research and innovation with the aim of deriving maximum benefits for economic and social progress.  I am referring, among other things to eco innovation and health sciences, both fields of significant and rapid development.  Also worth mentioning are research and development relating to environmentally sound sources of energy, for which there is great need in both countries, and also research into the future development of agriculture and fisheries.

Dear participants:  The opportunities for these neighbours of the north are endless.  We are facing changed times which will present us with new opportunities, but also challenges to our traditional ways of life and our cultures.  We need to respond to these opportunities and challenges – and the best way to do so is to combine and co-ordinate our efforts.  Increased mutual knowledge of our cultures and ways of life are the key to fruitful co-operation.  This meeting is an important step in setting the course that we need to take – and the Greenlandic-Icelandic Chamber of Commerce is an excellent venue to launch our efforts.