Finnish president: If we lose the Arctic, we lose the world

Finnish President Sauli Niinisto has called for preventing geopolitical tensions in the Arctic.

“We need to make sure that the Arctic remains a zone of cooperation. The strategic importance of the Arctic is constantly increasing”, he said during the plenary session of the ‘Arctic: Territory of Dialogue’.

Niinisto also devoted special attention to the problem of climate change and environmental problems.
“This is a matter of global significance. If we lose the Arctic, we lose the world”, he said.

The president also pointed out that the Arctic has been unusually warm for the third year in a row. This shows that the problem of global warming is getting worse, he said.

“The average temperature is increasing twice as fast as in other regions. This is a very serious challenge for the entire planet, but Arctic residents are seeing this more quickly than others”, he said.

Photo from TASS.