Arctic Forum Foundation

Arctic Forum Foundation’s Secretary General, Steffen Weber, participated in a panel debate as part of the Economist Arctic Summit: A New Vista for Trade, Energy and the Environment, sponsored by The Economist. This notable gathering of experts from the scientific, corporate and political realms was gathered with the purpose of highlighting the main pressing issues of the High North in preparation for the Arctic Council Ministerial in May 2013.

Mr. Weber was joined by Gustaf Lind, Swedish Ambassador for the Arctic; Anton Vasiliev, Russian Federation Ambassador at Large for Arctic Cooperation; and János Herman, Head of the European Union Delegation to Norway. The panel addressed the Arctic from the geopolitical perspective, emphasizing the past two years of steady development in the Arctic Council – a period where, as Mr. Lind noted, some “striking achievements” have been made. Mr. Vasiliev spoke of the “bright opportunities” that lay in the future of Arctic activity, while Mr. Herman made the case for the EU as a Permanent Observer on the Arctic Council, and as a prominent contributor to the Arctic dialogue.

Delivering his message on the importance of “capacity building” in the Arctic region, Mr. Weber specifically addressed the role of the business community in this regard. With major corporate Arctic players such as DNV, Statoil, Sovcomflot and Baffinland Iron Mines in attendance, Mr, Weber stressed the need for corporate participation in the North. Heralding the Canadian intention to support this drive during their Arctic Council presidency, Mr. Weber also shared with those in the audience Artic Forum Foundation’s nascent plans to establish an “Arctic Business Roundtable” catering specifically to this vital community.

For more information about the conference see here.