New Delhi, Jan 2 (FN Agency) External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday held talks with Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, former president of Iceland and current head of the Arctic Circle, during which they discussed deeper cooperation as well as the Arctic Circle India Forum event to be held in New Delhi in May 2025. In a post on X, the EAM said: “Pleased to meet former President of Iceland and Chairman of @_Arctic_Circle @ORGrimsson. “Discussed the activities of the Arctic Circle and the potential for deeper cooperation.” The Arctic Circle Chairman in posts on X said the two discussed the Arctic Circle India Forum event as well as the Polar Dialogue and geopolitical issues.
“Great pleasure to return to the #Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for a very constructive meeting with the distinguished FM @DrSJaishankar. Discussed the @_Arctic_Circle Forum in #Delhi next May. This historic room brings back many memories from over 40 years.” “In addition to @_Arctic_Circle #India Forum in May and next Assembly the discussion with FM @DrSJaishankar included the #PolarDialogue, #geopolitical and #geoeconomic importance of the #Arctic, #Greenland and #Trump + more. “What a way to start the New Year!” The Arctic Circle India Forum is to be held in New Delhi in May 2025. This forum will be co-hosted by the Observer Research Foundation and will focus on exploring the relationships and mutual benefits between the Arctic and India. The event aims to facilitate dialogue among political and business leaders, environmental experts, scientists, and other international stakeholders to address issues related to climate change and melting sea ice in the Arctic region. The Polar Dialogue, which was launched at the 2024 Arctic Circle Assembly in October last year, is mainly focused on science and research cooperation on the Arctic, Antarctic and the Himalaya – Third Pole region, as well as other ice-covered areas of the world.
The Arctic Circle includes representatives from eight countries that lie wholly or partly within the Arctic Circle: Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, the United States (Alaska), Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut), Denmark (Greenland), and Iceland. These nations collaborate to address various challenges in the Arctic region, such as oil and gas exploration, environmental concerns, national security, and the effects on indigenous populations. It was founded in 2013 by former President of Iceland Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, former Alaska Dispatch Publisher Alice Rogoff, and former Premier of Greenland Kuupik Kleist. In recent years, China has increased its presence in the Arctic, matching up with its efforts to expand its presence in the contested South China Sea and Straits of Taiwan. According to reports, China is looking to exploit the land laws to try and exert influence, including by building artificial islands to expand its reach. In the Arctic, there are no land rights, which makes it easier to establish a claim so they control the sea routes and potential trade.
Russia has tried to use the Lomonosov Ridge — the very edge of its continental shelf — to establish a claim over the Arctic, since international claims can vary. The BBC in 2020 reported that Russia, Denmark (via Greenland) and Canada have all tried to lay claim to the ridge and, by extension, part of the Arctic itself. The country that manages to establish its claim also gets the rights to a roughly 200-mile exclusive economic zone, under international law as laid out by the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea, that gives the country rights to fishing, infrastructure building and extracting natural resources, among other rights, according to reports.