The Arctic Turn:How did the High North become a Foreign and Security Policy Priority for Denmark?
In October 2006, representatives of the Arctic governments met in Salekhard in northern Siberia for the biennial Arctic Council ministerial meeting to discuss how the council could combat regional climate change, among other issues. While most capitals were represented by their foreign minister, a f...
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| Format: | Book Part |
| Language: | English |
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Routledge
2018
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| Online Access: | https://portal.findresearcher.sdu.dk/da/publications/51e24cca-c616-4e8a-bb2a-6b3d64d6e874 https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315162645-5 |
| Summary: | In October 2006, representatives of the Arctic governments met in Salekhard in northern Siberia for the biennial Arctic Council ministerial meeting to discuss how the council could combat regional climate change, among other issues. While most capitals were represented by their foreign minister, a few states – Canada, Denmark, and the United States – sent other representatives. There was nothing unusual about the absence of Per Stig Møller, the Danish foreign minister – a Danish foreign minister had only once attended an Arctic Council ministerial meeting (Arctic Council 2016). Møller’s nonappearance did, however, betray the low status that Arctic affairs had in the halls of government in Copenhagen. Since the end of the Cold War, where Greenland had helped tie Denmark and the US closer together due to its geostrategically important position between North America and the Soviet Union, Arctic and Greenlandic affairs had mainly been about managing fishing quotas. Though crucial for Danish-Greenlandic relations, such issues were hardly top priorities for Her Majesty’s Foreign Service. |
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