The Latest Breaking News from Arctic Council

Norway has taken over the Arctic Council’s rotating presidency from Russia

Oslo (AFP) - The Arctic Council, a model for cooperation between former Cold War foes, on Thursday saw a delicate handover of chairmanship, with the sidelining of Russia, its largest member.

The Biden administration is upgrading its engagement with the Arctic Council and countries with an interest in a region that's rapidly changing due to climate change

Arctic Council countries Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and the United States said on Wednesday they would resume limited internal cooperation that excluded Russia.

For decades, Russia and other nations collaborated on scientific and environmental issues in the Arctic. Now, there's concern that Finland and Sweden joining NATO could spark a military buildup there.

The countries share a border. Along the frontier, residents say a new barrier has disrupted everything from Arctic climate action and nuclear waste control to trade and cross-border sports leagues.

Russia shares a maritime border in the Arctic with European and American members of NATO. While environmental concerns and economic interests have typically dominated collaboration in the region, the war in Ukraine threatens to upset this careful balance.

For the past quarter-century, the Arctic has been a unique zone of cooperation among the eight countries of the high north: Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Russia and the United States. Even when relations between Moscow and the West soured, the Arctic Council’s work was a reminder that multilateral…

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