Greenland to Cooperate With Japanese Peace Foundation – Aims to Become an Arctic Hub for Peace
Grønlands Naalakkersuisoq (minister) for utenrikssaker, næring og handel, Vivian Motzfeldt (Siumut). (Foto: Naalakkersuisut)
"It has never been more important to strengthen efforts for peace," says Greenland's Foreign Minister, Vivian Motzfeldt. She recently signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with the Japanese Sasakawa Peace Foundation. The agreement will initiate joint work on peace research in the Arctic.
Greenland's government, Naalakkersuisut, is working toward low tension and peace in the Arctic, writes the Greenlandic Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Research.
Recently, Vivian Motzfeldt, Naalakkersuisoq (Minister) of Foreign Affairs and Research, and Atsushi Sunami, President of the Japanese Sasakawa Peace Foundation, signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC).
This agreement will formally initiate a joint work toward peace research in the Arctic.
"We live in a changeable world. It has never been more important to strengthen efforts for peace. There has never been a war in our country, and we want it to stay that way," says Motzfeldt and continues:
"We are very happy to cooperate with a country that has worked for many years with dialogue for low tension and peace. I believe our country will be able to provide knowledge about peace to the rest of the world and become a hub."
Vivian Motzfeldt together with Atsushi Sunami, President of Sasakawa Peace Foundation. (Photo: Naalakkersuisut)
Sasakawa Peace Foundation
· The Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF) was established in 1986 as a private, non-profit Japanese foundation, and transitioned to becoming a public interest incorporated foundation in 2011. In 2015, the SPF merged with the Japanese foundation Ship & Ocean.
· The SPF strives to strengthen cooperation between Japan and other countries in response to an increasing number of natural disasters and social crises. Among other things, the foundation implements and supports various projects aimed at contributing to world peace and security. It also promotes research on ocean governance and is engaged in the development of solutions to social challenges tailored to different countries and regions.
· The foundation receives significant Japanese government support and is recognized internationally for its work, according to the Government of Greenland.
Part of strategy
The cooperation with the Japanese peace foundation has been entered into in accordance with Greenland's Foreign, Security, and Defense Strategy 2024-2033.
One of the strategy's objectives is for Greenland to establish a peace center, preferably in cooperation with external contributors.
The vision is for the center to become an international hub for conflict and peace research, as well as the promotion of peace and sustainable development, particularly in the Arctic.
The aforementioned MoC will contribute to developing the framework of such a future peace center and serve as the foundation for implementing joint initiatives within research and education, as well as dialogue and exchange.
"As an Arctic country, Greenland has a strong desire to maintain peace and low tension. In the wake of the devastation of World War II, Japan went to great lengths to raise awareness of the importance of peace and stability. This serves as a source of inspiration for Greenland, and it is an area that we intend to explore in collaboration with Japan and other partners," reads the Greenlandic strategy.
It can also be added that Greenland now holds a prominent role in the Kingdom of Denmark's leadership of the Arctic Council.
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Parallel focus on military defense
While the Greenlandic government is working towards low tension and peace in the Arctic through the aforementioned research and dialogue-oriented measures and through the Arctic Council, it is also involved in the design of new measures to strengthen defense and preparedness in its region.
The agreement includes, among other things, the acquisition of maritime patrol aircraft capability, additional Arctic vessels and drones, as well as the construction of a subsea cable between Greenland and Denmark.
"The times demand that defense and security be strengthened in Greenland. We do so through initiatives that contribute to both the [Danish, ed. note] Armed Forces' task performance and support public security," stated Motzfeldt.
