The Danish Foreign Minister wants unity about the future of the Arctic Ocean. Outrageous attempts to make demands on the Arctic Ocean region should be a thing of the past.
Denmark's Foreign Minister, Per Stig Møller, urges respect for international law from nations bordering the Arctic Ocean region and wants cooperation to prevent an environmental catastrophe.
"We must continue to fulfill our obligations in the Arctic area until the UN decides who will have the right to the sea and the resources in the region. We must agree on the rules and what to do if climate changes make more shipping possible," says Minister Møller to the Danish News Agency Ritzau.
'We also have an obligation to provide for sustainable development of the Arctic Ocean with respect for indigenous people who have fished and hunted here for centuries,' said Møller.
Together with the Greenlandic Premier, Hans Enoksen, Møller has invited foreign ministers from Norway, Canada, Russia and the US to a conference about the Arctic Ocean.
The conference will take place this week in Ilulissat side by side with the world's biggest glacier. Ilulissat is the third largest settlement in Greenland and also the seat of the municipality of Ilulissat (Ilulissat Kommuniat) which covers an area of 47,000 km². The town is located about halfway up the country's west coast, and about 200 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle.
Minister Møller expects the conference to result in a common statement from the five participating coastal states.