Swedish PM Löfven to join Arctic talks with Putin

Sweden’s Social Democratic party leader Stefan Löfven during a press conference in Stockholm, Sweden, on September 27. (Pontus Lundahl/TT News Agency via Reuters)
Sustainable development is on the agenda when Prime Minister Stefan Löfven travels to Russia’s Arctic Forum in St. Petersburg in April.

Löfven’s office on Tuesday informed about the decision to participate at the high-profile Arctic Forum conference where Norway’s Prime Minister Erna Solberg and Finland’s President Sauli Niinistö are coming.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will have bilateral meeting with the Swedish Prime Minister at the event.

“The Government is pursuing an active policy in this region, especially in matters related to climate change, and the conference provides an important opportunity for political dialogue with Russia and other participating countries on environmental issues and other Arctic issues,” a statement from the Swedish Prime Minister’s office on Tuesday reads.

Arctic Forum takes place on April 9-10.

Sweden is currently chairing the Barents Council and it is expected that Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will travel to the bi-annual Barents Ministerial to take place in northern Sweden this autumn. Meanwhile, the Nordic Foreign Ministers and Russia’s Lavrov will meet in May in Rovaniemi, Finland, for the Arctic Council Ministerial.

Related stories from around the North:

Canada: Canada’s 2019 budget slim on hard power Arctic commitments, experts say, Radio Canada International

Finland: U.S., Russia thwarting black carbon reduction efforts in Arctic, says Finland, Eye on the Arctic

Norway: Russia, Norway find common ground on Barents fish, The Independent Barents Observer

Russia: Cooperation with Russia in the Arctic makes sense; an Arctic Summit does not, Blog by Heather Exner-Pirot

Sweden: Arctic Sweden to welcome thousands of international troops for Northern Wind exercise, The Independent Barents Observer

United States: U.S. Secretary of State expected to attend Arctic Council meeting in Finland, The Independent Barents Observer

Thomas Nilsen, The Independent Barents Observer

For more news from the Barents region visit The Independent Barents Observer.

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