MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th May, 2021) The Arctic Council is set to hold on Thursday its 12th ministerial meeting in Reykjavik that will mark the group's upcoming 25th anniversary as well as the end of Iceland's two-year chairmanship and passing the torch to Russia, which will be represented by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
The Russian foreign minister will be joined by his counterparts from the other seven Arctic states, including US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
This will also be the Arctic Council's first meeting to be held in person after the coronavirus pandemic disrupted many such events in 2020. Due to the fact that the disease has not yet been fully overcome, the meeting will be in a reduced format, with eight foreign ministers and representatives of the Arctic indigenous peoples present in Reykjavik, and other delegates joining online.
According to the event's organizers, the meeting will assess approximately 80 deliverables compiled by the council's working groups during Iceland's tenure as the chair. The reports will cover a wide range of issues, such as Arctic shipping, climate change, and human health and innovation in Arctic communities. The ministers will also celebrate the anniversary by adopting the council's first-ever strategic plan. This agenda reflects Iceland's four key priorities during its chairmanship � the Arctic marine environment, climate and green energy, the Arctic peoples, as well as s stronger Arctic Council.
Meanwhile, Moscow plans to dedicate its tenure to economic, social and environmental development in the region, the issues of the region's population, and the strengthening of the council as the main platform for multilateral cooperation in the region.
The Arctic Council is an intergovernmental forum that aims to promote partnership and coordination between the regional states, indigenous peoples and other shared issues, specifically those related to sustainable development and the environment.
Its roots go back to September 19, 1996, when the eight Arctic states � Russia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and the United States � signed the Ottawa Declaration, establishing the council. Among the forum's tangible achievements are three major agreements on search and rescue, marine oil pollution preparedness and response, and scientific cooperation in the region.
