The Arctic Council Foreign Ministers meeting concluded yesterday, May 20, in the Icelandic capital, with the 8 foreign ministers adopting a joint statement of their shared commitment to combat climate change and maintain peace in the Arctic, as well as adopting for the first time a “strategic plan” for the next 10 years.
The 8-nation Arctic Council ministerial meeting took place against the backdrop of a warming Arctic that is three times faster than other regions, intense geopolitical rivalry and rising military tensions between Moscow and the West, and Chinese activities in the Arctic that have raised world attention and alarm.
The Arctic Council includes the United States, Russia, Canada, Iceland, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. Russia will hold the rotating chairmanship of the Arctic Council for the next two years, following Iceland.
We are committed to promoting a peaceful Arctic region where cooperation on climate, environment, science and security prevails,” U.S. Secretary of State John Blinken said yesterday at the Arctic Council in Reykjavik.
Arctic Strategic Competition
“The strategic competitive character of the Arctic is drawing the world’s attention,” Blinken added. But “the trademark of the Arctic must be to maintain peaceful cooperation,” he said.
AFP said the remarks were an almost unspoken warning to the Chinese Communist Party. The Chinese Communist Party has observer status in the Arctic Forum, and Beijing has made no secret of its interest in the vast territory of the Arctic, which is rich in natural resources and whose exploitation is facilitated by the receding ice and the development of maritime transport.
Greenland
Blinken wrapped up his visit to Greenland, Denmark’s self-made territory, Thursday afternoon. He pledged that the U.S. wants to build a “stronger” partnership with the territory, which is attached to Denmark.
The April 7 election for Greenland’s self-governing parliament, won by the left-wing environmental party, which opposes Chinese uranium mining, has thwarted a 10-year plan by China’s Shenghe Resources to open a mine in Greenland under the name of an Australian company.
Last year, the U.S. reopened its consulate in Nuuk, Greenland’s capital, and pledged $12 million in economic aid. Although Greenland’s local government floated the idea of a free trade agreement with the U.S. earlier this week, Blinken was vague about the new U.S. plan. “We want to find ways to strengthen the relationship and even have more commercial relations,” he said.
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