Today, 16th of January 2014, the Iceland´s Minister of Foreign Affairs paid visit to the Arctic Portal office, located in Akureyri, northern Iceland.
The Minister, Gunnar Bragi Sveinsson, Director General for International and Security Affairs Hermann Ingólfsson as well as Senior Arctic Official Thorsteinn Ingolfsson, got to know the Arctic Portal involvement in the current Arctic issues and discussed the importance of communication, information sharing and raising awareness of policy makers and general public about the current development of Arctic matters.
Iceland is the only sovereign state entirely located in the High North. As a coastal state, Iceland has strong economic and political potential.
Melting ice will cause the change in the world trade as new shipping routes open to the North Atlantic, Arctic and Pacific Oceans. Arctic Region is also estimated to hold close to 30% of natural gas and about 13% of oil resources.
The Arctic Portal works towards developing technologies and methodologies for integrated access of data for better future of the Arctic.
Click here to learn more about the Icelandic Ministry for Foreign Affairs.