2026 Arctic Circle Forum kicks off in Iceland

China News Service, Reykjavik, October 8 (Reporter Li Yang) The 2026 Arctic Circle Forum Conference kicked off in Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland, on the 8th local time.

On October 8, local time, the 2026 Arctic Forum Conference kicked off in Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland. Photo by China News Service reporter Li Yang

Grimsson, Chairman of the Arctic Circle Forum and former President of Iceland, announced the opening of the conference. He said that this year there will be about 2,500 people from more than 70 countries and regions participating in the conference, and more than 200 meetings will be held in total. He hopes that the participants can jointly promote the success of the conference. He expressed pleasure that many young people came to attend the meeting and believed that they had the right to dialogue and ask questions on relevant issues.

Canadian Foreign Minister Anand, Foreign Minister of the Greenland Self-Government Egede, European Commission Commissioner for International Partnerships Siqueira and others spoke at the opening meeting. In his speech, Anand talked about Canada's role in the Arctic region and expressed Canada's willingness to play a bridging role in related cooperation in the Arctic region.

In his speech, Egged said that we will not be "spectators" on Greenland's future; Greenland's future "will be shaped by ourselves." He said there was now a lot of interest in the Arctic and Greenland welcomed that. We need development and investment. Greenland is open to cooperation.

The Arctic Circle Forum was launched in 2013 by the then President of Iceland Grimsson. It is an important platform to promote the international community's understanding and protection of the Arctic and discuss Arctic governance. The conference is held in Iceland every October. This year's conference lasts for three days and will end on the 10th. (over)