Arctic Security Conference 2025: Norwegian MP Leaves Open Possibility of an Arctic Council Without Russia
Russia cannot be trusted, not even when it comes to cooperation in the Arctic Council, says Ine Eriksen Søreide, Chair of the Norwegian Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defense. Søreide has previously served as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Defense. Here she is at the Arctic Security Conference in Oslo with, among others, Norway's current Minister of Foreign Affairs Espen Barth Eide. (Photo: Astri Edvardsen)
High North News (Oslo): The Western Arctic states must soon choose between continuing slow-moving Arctic Council work with Russian participation, or proceeding without Russia, believes Ine Eriksen Søreide, Chair of the Norwegian Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defense.
"We must realize that we will find ourselves in a situation where we have to decide whether to continue the slow-moving Arctic Council work with Russia partly aboard, or if we are to continue the work without Russia, as we have so many challenges to solve. I believe this decision point is approaching."
The statement came from Ine Eriksen Søreide (Conservative), Chair of the Norwegian Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defense, on Thursday at the Arctic Security Conference, organized by the Fridtjof Nansen Institute.
"Looking at the way things are right now, I believe there is absolutely no reason to trust in Russia having good intentions in this Arctic cooperation," stated Søreide and continued:
"I also don't think Russia has any good intentions regarding Europe's security landscape. We must realize that the Russia we are facing is an aggressor that will continue being aggressive, particularly if it wins the war in Ukraine or gets a settlement on its own terms."
The Arctic Council in short
· The Arctic Council is an intergovernmental forum for cooperation between the region's eight states, indigenous peoples and other inhabitants on common Arctic issues, particularly regarding sustainable development and environmental protection. All decisions require consensus among the Council's member states.
Highlights the pan-Arctic framework
The Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Espen Barth Eide (Labor), opened the security conference with a speech in which he emphasized that the Arctic Council still exists with Russia among its members.
"I am proud that we managed to preserve the Arctic Council as an organization, despite major geopolitical upheaval and the fact that it has not been possible to maintain traditional political cooperation with Russia. And although it has been difficult to introduce many new initiatives since we do not have meetings in the Council on a political level, we have been able to continue and further develop the work in existing areas of cooperation," said Barth Eide and continued:
"We are attempting to conserve an organization for pan-Arctic cooperation, which includes Russia's enormous Arctic coast. At the same time, we are very open about the challenges linked to geopolitical tensions in which Russia is on the wrong side of history. This balancing act is not easy, but Norway managed to keep the Arctic Council alive, and we handed over the chairship of the council to the Kingdom of Denmark, represented by Greenland, in May. The council continues its work basically along the lines we have developed in the past years."
The Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Espen Barth Eide is concerned with the continued existence of the Arctic Council, bringing together all eight Arctic countries. (Photo: Astri Edvardsen)
"Not naive"
Barth Eide did not comment on Søreide's statement on the possibility of excluding Russia from the Arctic Council, but stated the following:
"There is no difference between our analyses of Russia's intentions and lack of credibility, demonstrated by what is happening in Ukraine. We are not naive," he said and continued:
"We must demonstrate extreme firmness and stand together in Europe, ensuring that the US stays with us in strong support for Ukraine and in increasing pressure on Russia. We are not looking for new areas of cooperation with Russia."
