(Adnkronos) – A panel of MPs was set to question former Icelandic Ambassador to the United States of America and the Russian Federation Albert Jonsson on Tuesday as part of its fact-finding inquiry into the geopolitical dynamics of the key Arctic region, the lower house of parliament said in a statement.
Jonsson was due to attend the foreign affairs committee’s standing committee on Arctic foreign policy hearing at 2pm with the event broadcast live on the parliament’s website, said the statement.
Jonsson is an expert on international relations and Arctic affairs, the statement noted.
US president Donald Trump’s threats to take over Greenland to prevent its occupation by China or Russia – ambitions denied by Beijing and Moscow – have nontheless focused attention on the Artic. Talks between Nato, the US, Denmark and Greenland on the island’s future status and on limiting Russian and Chinese access are ongoing, the military alliance’s secretary-general, Mark Rutte said last month.
In February, Nato launched the ‘Artic Sentry’ mission to boost coordination among allies and bolster defences in the Arctic region, while in January, Nato allies agreed at the World Economic Forum that the alliance must play a stronger role in the Arctic, including protecting Greenland – a Danish territory.
