EDINBURGH ARCTIC CIRCLE FORUM SCOTLAND AND THE NEW NORTH,
ADDRESS BY H.E. GUÐLAUGUR ÞÓR ÞÓRÐARSON, MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF ICELAND
EDINBURGH, 20 NOVEMBER 2017

Honorable First Minister Nicola Sturgeon,
Former President of Iceland Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson,
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen.

I would like to thank the Scottish government for hosting the Arctic Circle Forum in this beautiful city and take the opportunity to commend Mr. Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson for bringing the dialogue here to Edinburgh. We are here today to discuss and exchange views on Scotland and the New North: An important issue for Scotland and Iceland alike.

Iceland and Scotland are close neighbors. Only two hours by flight separate us and our relationship and cooperation has been and continues to be strong. Many Icelanders have studied here in Scotland and Edinburgh in particular. For decades, Leith was the first port of call of our only passenger vessel, Gullfoss, and our first glimpse of the outside world.

Our national anthem was written in Scotland and the famous “húh” – the Viking clap – which we hope to hear resonate loud in Russia next summer, originates from Motherwell – a Scottish football club, although we gladly claim the credit. And still today, Icelanders love to go on a shopping spree in Glasgow. Old habits die hard.
I am also pleased to see many other next-door northern neighbors here today, for example from the Faroe Islands and Greenland, but also friends and colleagues from further afield. This is the essence of the Arctic Circle Assemblies – to bring together different people with even different perspectives for a dialogue, to exchange views, forge relationships and enhance our common understanding.

Historically, people have traveled from north to south. People in the north went south for education and to trade and market their goods. The northern areas have been frontiers societies where conditions were harsh and unpredictable, and people moved towards the south in search of better livelihoods. Economic booms and busts have been common in the fragile economies of the North. Too often these economies were too dependent on a single economic resource. In Iceland´s case the catching and export of fish.

Today, compared to last century when Icelanders disembarked at the port in Leith, we see a totally different picture. Globalization, greater mobility for people and companies, logistics, connectivity and trade have brought us benefits that previous generations would have thought impossible. Indeed, this Arctic Circle Forum will reveal information from companies in Iceland that have fueled this growth in recent years in aviation, tourism and shipping and logistics.

The countries and regions in the North, such as Iceland and Scotland, have in the last decades been able to diversify their economy and use their resources to increase prosperity, raise living standards and quality of life for their citizens. This trend, I believe, will continue. The North is becoming ever more attractive. People are moving from south to north.

Still, the North has a lot of untapped potential. Between Greenland in the west and Norway and Scotland to the east we can, and should, increase our cooperation. In Iceland, we have made a dedicated effort to increase our relations and cooperation with the Faroe Islands and Greenland, for example by opening diplomatic representations in Torshavn and Nuuk. We also have a comprehensive free trade agreement with the Faroe Islands and a cooperation agreement between Iceland and Greenland, and we are continuously developing our trilateral cooperation.

Here in Scotland, the highly esteemed research institutions and universities immediately come to mind and closer cooperation in fields such as marine research, ocean affairs, fisheries management and the impacts of climate change on migrating fish stocks.

Ladies and gentlemen,

In the Arctic, as a result of climate change, we have a tendency to talk about prospective economic development, for example large-scale mining plans, new oil and gas exploration and alternative shipping routes as outside factors that will have a big economic impact on our region.

However, if we look more closely, we see that the growth in the region is coming from existing industries and step-by-step innovation, for example, in my country, in the field of fisheries and fish processing, information technology, tourism, aviation, transport and logistics. These are traditional industries, which are increasing their productivity and value creation, through innovation and export.

Tourism is, perhaps, the best example where demand for new and different destinations and experiences is driving an impressive year on year growth from Greenland to Norway. In Iceland, we foresee to welcome more than 2 million tourists this year, spurring an unprecedented growth.

The Arctic has been a foreign policy priority for successive governments in Iceland in recent years, and will be a priority for the one that will soon take over. It is worth remembering that cooperation amongst Arctic states grew out of efforts to increase cooperation in the circumpolar region in the 1980s. And bear in mind that this is still during the Cold War. The founding document of the Arctic Council, which came a bit later in 1996, states that Arctic cooperation should focus on sustainable development and environmental protection.
A lot has changed since 1996. However, the main principles still apply, and our responsibility remains to follow a sustainable path and protect the fragile environment and ecosystems in the Arctic. At the same time, we wish to make sure that we provide the inhabitants of the Arctic with opportunities to develop their economy in a sustainable way and shape their own future.

The international community came together two years ago and agreed to the Paris agreement and Agenda 2030. Both these landmark agreements have an important bearing to the North and the Arctic and implementing their goals and objectives is our common responsibility.

As we all know, the focus on the Arctic has increased and it attracts world-wide attention as the Arctic Circle assemblies amply demonstrate. The region is a laboratory of the impact that climate change has on the environment and what happens in the Arctic is relevant for the rest of the globe – from Thule to Tuvalu as the famous documentary outlines.

Therefore, we see increased interest in the region. Scientists, researchers, businesses and industries are looking to the Arctic to see what the future might bring. In the Arctic Council we see more interest from observers; states, international organizations and non-governmental organizations alike, that want to take part in the discussion, contribute with their expertise and follow developments in the region.

Iceland supports greater cooperation in the Arctic and will continue to do so. We see this increased interest as a good thing. It can bring more comprehensive cooperation in many fields and expand the dialogue on one of the most pressing challenge that we face as a global community, climate change. Everybody needs to be involved in this discussion.

The Arctic states, communities and people in the region have a special responsibility and a special role to play.

As Iceland prepares for its upcoming chairmanship in the Arctic Council in 2019-2021, maintaining and expanding the good cooperation with countries outside of the Arctic is more important than ever. We look forward to shape the agenda for the colorful Arctic during our chairmanship.

Ladies and gentlemen, to conclude;

Scotland and the New North is the underlying theme of this Arctic Circle Forum and a fitting one. The NewNorth is a dynamic and innovative region that attracts people and businesses. The New North is rich with opportunities, which are ours to seize, and the challenges we need to address in good cooperation. The North is no longer on the outskirts. It is central. These are all characteristics that apply to Scotland, which I see very much as part of the northern family.

These are exciting times and a wise man once said that “the best way to predict the future is to create it”. The Arctic Circle and the beautiful Edinburgh provide the perfect setting for this small undertaking.

I look forward to the discussions. Thank you.