High Time for the High North - Speech at the Nato Parlamentary Assembly, 74th Rose-Roth seminar, Helsinki, 17 June 2010
Julkaistu 17.6.2010
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Dear Friends,
It is a great pleasure to be here today and talk to you about the Arctic. To elaborate the Finnish Arctic vision, I will concentrate on two aspects. First, I will highlight some of the key elements of Finland’s strategy for the Arctic region, which was adopted on 4 June. What are our objectives and the means to attain these objectives? Second, I will focus on the international framework in the Arctic debate. How to make the Arctic Council the focal point in the circumpolar world of the High North?
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It has sometimes been doubted whether Finland truly is an Arctic country or not. An indisputable fact is that Finland is one of the northernmost countries in the world. One third of our territory lies in the Arctic region. We are a part of the Arctic history, too. The Finnish explorer Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld (btw. whose name could be translated as “the shield/defender of the North”) was the first to sail through the Northeast Passage in his “Vega” ship in 1878.
Therefore I am pleased to say that the Government has just concluded consideration of Finland’s Arctic Strategy. The aim of the strategy is to look at our Arctic policy, dealing with the matter from the global, regional and local perspectives.
The potential of the Arctic is closely linked with the region’s resources and new shipping routes – which, inevitably, will play a central role in the future energy markets and logistical networks. In my view, Arctic issues should be dealt with in a rules-based multilateral framework with an emphasis on comprehensive security and environmental sustainability. In responding to the tipping points of climate change or acting to avoid uncontrolled developments in the Arctic there is no alternative to cooperation.
In the Ilulissat Declaration two years ago, the five coastal states committed themselves to resolving their territorial disputes under international law – namely in the Law of the Sea framework. In the spirit of the US administration’s aim to ratify the UNCLOS (the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea) within the near future, I welcome the initial agreement between the Russian Federation and Norway concerning their over 40-year-old dispute about the borderline of the Barents and the Arctic Ocean.
The principles of an equitable delimitation of the continental shelf have been a most difficult subject in international law. It took a long time for Norway and Russia to reach this agreement. No doubt, the agreement signals that the Arctic is not a region of confrontation but of cooperation. Our common goal is – and should be – a regulated Arctic with a low degree of strategic tension. An open and broad-based cooperation with all legitimate partners is what is needed to reach “high north with low tension”.
I believe that the most serious threats towards the Arctic concern its fragile environment. Take, for example, the Gulf of Mexico oil accident and imagine the consequences it would have in the Arctic environment. The biggest single factor behind accidents is human activity. That is why we need to intensify our degree of preparedness in order to improve maritime safety in the Arctic. It is important to make full use of best practices identified in the Baltic Sea cooperation, such as the Baltic Sea Maritime Safety Program.
The Arctic region closest to us is the Barents region. Developing the region concerns not only the northern parts but also large areas in the neighboring countries. Key interests for Finland – based on our expertise - are forestry, Arctic shipping and mining industry, with related infrastructure development. Crucial for the prospects in the Barents region are improvements in transport, communications and logistical networks as well as facilitation of border crossings. To promote Finnish interests we – both the public sector and businesses - need to be more visible particularly in Murmansk.
Barents issues will get more attention also in the EU Northern Dimension policy; the development of the region during the next 10 – 15 years will be significant for Finland, Russia, Norway, and the EU. This requires effective and seamless international cooperation between all stakeholders.
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The Arctic Council – or A8+ as I prefer to call it - is the principal intergovernmental forum to deal with Arctic policies. The Council has a proven track record in research and standard-setting, particularly in the environmental and shipping sectors. A unique feature of the Council is that organizations of the indigenous peoples can participate in its work as Permanent Participants and as equals together with the Member States. It brings the whole Arctic family together.
The Member States of the Council agree on the need to strengthen the Council. It is well-known that everything in the Arctic is interrelated. This requires an integrated approach. Who else could take this responsibility if not the Arctic Council?
Let me take up six issues I see important in this respect:
- 1) To be a body compatible with our vision, the mandate and working methods of the Council need to be revised.
- 2) Better burden-sharing needs to be introduced to ensure adequate participation in the Council proceedings. This would help us to avoid a situation where funding is shaping the policies of the Council – and not the other way around.
- 3) A permanent secretariat needs to be established. It is crucial in the context of awareness-raising and networking as well as effective servicing of all stakeholders in the Council.
- 4) We also need to expand the Arctic Council´s normative role. The ongoing discussions under the US-Russian co-chairmanship on search and rescue (SAR) operations in the Arctic region have turned into full-fledged inter-governmental negotiations with a view of signing a legally binding agreement at the next Arctic Council Foreign Ministers’ meeting next year. This is a more than welcome development and Finland is happy to host the next round of negotiations.
- 5) Actors with an observer status are an integral part of the Council. We welcome the non-Arctic Asian and European states, as well as the European Commission as Permanent Observers in the Council, according to agreed criteria. The Council will become stronger by engaging those with legitimate interests in the regions and interacting with them in a transparent manner. As I have stated before, the future of the Arctic is of concern not only to some states but a legitimate concern for all. Currently the EU is implementing important programs in the Arctic contributing to such sectors as research, environment, energy, transport and indigenous peoples. Finland will act to convert the indisputable Arctic vocation of the EU into a more specific and stronger EU Arctic policy.
- 6) Even though today’s world is like a global village, quick and convenient access to accurate information is still a challenge. Lack of knowledge breeds suspicion and uncertainty. In the Arctic this concerns both the Arctic Council and the EU. The Council is considering a Communications and Outreach Strategy, and the EU is contemplating opening an Arctic Information Center. These projects receive our full support.
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I am ready to advance the aforementioned issues at the next Foreign Ministers Meeting in Nuuk, Greenland. But I believe we also need to look beyond that point already now. Taking into account the wider significance of the Arctic now and in the future, I would propose organizing an Arctic Conference at the highest level. This Arctic summit would be first of its kind. It would gather all key stakeholders to take stock of emerging regional issues of paramount importance and with global consequences. A summit would also give new direction to the Arctic cooperation and become a milestone in the development of the Arctic Council.
Almost twenty years ago Finland responded to the then tipping point in the Arctic by launching an initiative on the Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy. It led to the establishment of the Arctic Council. Certainly, now it is high time to convene a summit in the High North!
As my Norwegian colleague Jonas Gahr Störe mentioned in his statement in Tromsö on April 29, 2010, we are writing the history of the Arctic right now. At the same time, we are shaping its future.
Finland has been an Arctic player all along. Through our strategy and with our heightened commitment to the region, we will contribute to the Arctic in the spirit of cooperation and constructive engagement. This is how the future of the Arctic is preserved, for us and for our children.
Thank you!
