Sweden’s Arctic policy is the state’s foreign and domestic policy aimed at international cooperation with the countries of the Arctic Council , as well as the development of Len Norrbotten , which for the most part is located outside the Arctic Circle . The main provisions were enshrined in the Swedish Strategy for the Development of the Arctic Region ( Swede. Sveriges strategi för den arktiska regionen ) in 2011. Thus, Sweden was the last to adopt such a document among the member states of the “Arctic Council” [1] [2] .
History
To date, Sweden does not have direct access to the Arctic, but claims to have influence in this region. Many years ago, the power of the Swedish kingdom extended to other Scandinavian countries, for example, Norway. Sweden as well as Finland and Iceland do not make territorial claims on the Arctic region. The lack of direct access to the Arctic caused a major international scandal that erupted in 2010. At that time, the Canadian government refused to invite Sweden, Finland and Iceland to negotiations on the development of the Arctic. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton left the conference ahead of time and expressed the US’s tough stance on this issue, demanding that all participants in the Arctic Council be required to attend [3] [4] .
The interests of Sweden in the Arctic are mostly represented by scientific interest. In the north of the country there are several stations for studying climate, as well as monitoring changes in glaciers and permafrost. One of the most important problems in the Arctic territory of Sweden is the change in water level, which is due to the intense increase in temperature in the world and an increase in rainfall. In the near future, this threatens the emergence of significant water flows, soil changes and more extreme weather conditions. Research on climate change as well as mitigation is recognized as a top priority in Sweden’s national policy in the Arctic. Climate change poses a threat to representatives of the Saami people, as their culture traditionally has strong ties to the natural environment and weather conditions [5] .
In 2011, on the eve of the chairmanship of the Arctic Council, Sweden announced its first Arctic strategy, which is still considered today as the legal basis for further development of cooperation in the Arctic [6] . The following objectives and main national priorities were identified in this document:
- ensuring the conservation of the Arctic by minimizing political tensions;
- strengthening the role of the “Arctic Council” on Arctic issues, as well as cooperation with the Barents / Euro-Arctic Council ;
- involvement of the European Union , as a cooperation partner, in the development of a common Arctic policy;
- strengthening interaction between the “Arctic Council”, the Barents / Euro-Arctic Council, as well as EU programs and funds;
- increased attention of the Nordic Council of Ministers to Arctic projects complementary to the activities of the “Arctic Council”;
- implementation of cooperation projects in the Arctic in accordance with international law, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and other international agreements [7] .
In 2017, the Minister of Defense of Sweden Peter Hultqvist and Norwegian Minister of Defense Ine Eriksen Sereyde made a statement on holding joint exercises in response to the actions of the Russian Federation in the Baltic region and in the Arctic . At the moment, their countries do not see Russia as a “direct threat”, but they are sure that any major crisis will necessarily affect Sweden and Norway. The decision to expand military cooperation between the two countries was made during the five-hour talks in Stockholm [8] .
Notes
- ↑ Heininen L. Sweden's Strategy for the Arctic Region: priorities and objectives (inaccessible link) . Geopolitics in the High North . Geopoliticsnorth.org. Date of treatment November 5, 2017. Archived May 15, 2017.
- ↑ Rolf Tamnes, Kristine Offerdal. Geopolitics and Security in the Arctic: Regional dynamics in a global world . - Routledge, 2014 .-- 263 p. - ISBN 9781317801580 .
- ↑ Woods, A. Canada gets cold shoulder at Arctic meeting (en-CA), The Toronto Star (March 29, 2010). Date of treatment November 5, 2017.
- ↑ Sweden | Information and analytical portal ARCTICuniverse . www.arcticuniverse.com. Date of treatment November 5, 2017.
- ↑ Sweden , The Arctic Institute . Date of treatment November 5, 2017.
- ↑ Arctic Council chaired by Sweden - . Radio Sweden Russian . Radio Sweden Russian - news in Russian from Sweden (May 21, 2012). Date of treatment November 5, 2017.
- ↑ Koptelov V. Arctic Strategy of Sweden (Unavailable link) . International activity . Arctic-rf.ru. Date of treatment November 5, 2017. Archived October 25, 2017.
- ↑ Sweden and Norway will be “friends” against Russia in the Arctic . Inosmi . Tvzvezda.ru (June 24, 2017). Date of treatment November 5, 2017.
Links
- Paper - Swedish Strategy for the Arctic Region (2011) (en)