Break-out Session Arctic Circle Assembly 2019
Arctic Interests of the West Nordic Countries,
Reykjavík, Harpa, 12 October 2019 at 16:30

Address by Mr. Guðlaugur Þór Þórðarson
Minister for Foreign Affairs

President of the West-Nordic Council Vivian Motzfeldt

Excellencies, dear colleagues, good morning – góðan dag!

It is a great pleasure to be with you here today on this occasion. It is obvious from the level of participation in the Arctic Circle this year that our region, the Arctic, is not only high up on the globe but also high on the international agenda.

To state the obvious on today’s topic let me say that the Arctic interests and those of Greenland, the Faroe Islands and Iceland are wholly intertwined and indivisible. Our countries are Arctic, our nations are Arctic and our everyday realities are Arctic. And what we have been witnessing for years now, and the world has just recently woken up to, is that our realities are changing, with rising sea levels, storming weathers and growing competition for international trade routes.

Since we took over the Chairmanship in the Arctic Council five months ago, we have experienced unprecedented interest in the Arctic. Some members of our West Nordic team have even attracted so much interest that it has caught the attention of the world media!

People, states, international organizations, NGO’s and businesses are looking in our direction, both in awe and excitement over the developments taking place. Environmental, economic, social and geopolitical.

Now, the West-Nordic Council was granted Arctic Council Observer status in 2017. The two Councils share many common goals and focus areas such as sustainable development, which is in fact the guiding principle during Iceland’s Chairmanship, the environment, climate change, economic development, search and rescue, public health and youth, to name a few.

And I would like to commend you for having already proposed work on Arctic youth and substance abuse, a proposal which turned into one of the key events during the Council’s Sustainable Development Working Group’s meeting here in Iceland, last September. This is a prime example of how Observers can influence and strengthen the work of the Arctic Council, to everyone’s benefit.

And in fact, the event touched upon two of Iceland’s four key Chairmanship priorities, that is to strengthen the Arctic Council through a more active engagement with Observers and strengthening of Arctic communities.

Another key priority of the Icelandic chairmanship, which also has a clear relevance to the West-Nordic, is our focus on the Blue BioEconomy, which is all about maximizing the value of marine catches through innovation. Here we obviously need and count on the invaluable experience and knowledge of our West-Nordic partners.

Ladies and gentlemen,

While the level of excitement is high over the wide ranging effects of developments in the Arctic, it is important to keep a cool head, be firm on one’s principles and have a clear vision on how things must progress in the region. During and beyond the Arctic Council Chairmanship Iceland will emphasise stability, sustainable development and positive social progress through responsible economic development. And in this respect, I am very grateful to have the West-Nordic Council on our team.

Thank you.