Norway said on Tuesday that it has no intention of resuming cooperation with Moscow in the Arctic Council due to the large-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine , although it will work with Russia in Russia to transfer the presidency of the council from Moscow to Oslo.
The presidency will pass to Norway on May 11. At the time of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February last year, Russia chaired the council for one of the two years that make up the president’s term.
The Arctic Council was created in 1996 to discuss issues affecting the polar region, from environmental pollution and local economic development to the organization of search and rescue operations.
On Tuesday, Norway announced its priorities, noting that it will focus its work as president on climate change, oceans, sustainable economic development and Arctic peoples.
The Arctic Council is made up of eight states – Russia, the United States, Canada, Finland, Norway, Iceland, Sweden and Denmark. Other countries, including China and India, are official observers of the council’s activities.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine forced the other seven Arctic Council member countries to suspend cooperation with Moscow, particularly around a third of the council’s 130 projects, since Russia was directly involved.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov previously invited representatives of member countries of the Council to attend the handover ceremony in Salekhard, Siberia.
Norway said the handover ceremony will be digital and limited to officials, not political leaders.
“We want an orderly (presidency) transition,” Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister Eyvind Vad Petersson told Reuters. “Norway is in contact with Russia to prepare the transfer.”
“At the same time, it is out of the question for high-ranking politicians to travel to a ministerial event in Russia, and we have clearly communicated this to Russia,” he added.
