U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken announced on Thursday, June 1, 2023, that the United States will soon set up a small diplomatic mission in Norway that will be its northernmost post in the world and only such facility above the Arctic Circle.
The move, which Blinken announced at a news conference in Oslo after attending a NATO foreign ministers meeting, comes as competition over the high north’s resources with Russia intensifies.
Blinken said the U.S. would open what is known as an “American Presence Post” in Tromsoe, which is situated at 350 kilometers (217 miles) north of the Arctic Circle. The post will open later this year and be staffed by a single U.S. diplomat with the title of “consul.”
“We’re here to work with like-minded allies to advance our vision of a peaceful, stable and cooperative Arctic,” Blinken said before meeting Norway’s Foreign Minister whose country has assumed the chairmanship of the Arctic Council, which is headquartered in Tromsoe.
Blinken’s announcement comes three weeks after Norway took over from Russia the chairmanship of the Arctic Council, a forum created in 1996 to discuss issues affecting the polar region.
The states that make up the Arctic Council are Russia, the United States, Canada, Finland, Norway, Iceland, Sweden and Denmark.
The State Department had maintained an office in Tromsoe until 1994 but it was shuttered in a re-alignment of diplomatic facilities after the end of the Cold War.
U.S. Ambassador to Norway, Marc Nathanson noted in a statement, “The United States is a proud Arctic state and takes seriously our role as one of the region’s stewards.”
Norway Welcomes U.S Plan To Open Diplomatic Post
Norwegian Foreign Minister, Anniken Huitfeldt said Norway and the U.S. share a “long and proud history” of collaboration on Arctic issues.
“I welcome U.S. plans to establish a Presence Post in Tromsoe this year, which I am sure will further strengthen our close cooperation,” she remarked.
Norway took over the eight-nation grouping of countries that border the Arctic after two years of Russian leadership during which the bloc was largely ignored by other members due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Nonetheless, as it assumed the rotating two-year chairmanship on May 11, 2023, Norway pledged to keep the council’s work moving forward from Russia.
“Norway will continue to focus on the core issues the Council deals with, including the impacts of climate change, sustainable development and efforts to enhance the well-being of people living in the region. Together with the other member states, we will now explore how this can be achieved in practice.”
Norwegian Foreign Minister, Anniken Huitfeldt
However, experts claim that it is going to be complicated without cooperation with Russia, the biggest Arctic nation.
Rasmus Gjedssø Bertelsen, of the Arctic University of Norway in Tromsoe, opined, “It is a huge challenge for Norway. They have to isolate Russia and at the same time they have to make sure not to provoke Russia to dissolve the Council.”
The Arctic Council does not deal with security issues but makes binding agreements on environmental protection and gives a voice to the Indigenous peoples of the Arctic region. It was one of the few settings where Western countries and Russia worked together closely.
