At the Arctic Imperative Summit in Girdwood this week, President Olaf Ragnar Grimsson of Iceland urged Alaskans to get more involved in Arctic policy, saying that the U.S. would not be at the table if not for Alaska. Grimsson said that involvement in Arctic policy could give Alaskans "a new form of power in the U.S."
Ambassador David Balton of the U.S. State Department reiterated that point in his remarks, saying "The U.S. is an Arctic nation because of Alaska." Balton said that Arctic policy should be developed in partnership with the people of Alaska, State government and other stakeholders working in Alaska.
The Arctic Imperative Summit features dignitaries and experts in Arctic policy and science from around the world discussing infrastructure, policy and economic opportunities in the Arctic. The Summit is a project of the Alaska Dispatch and its publisher Alice Rogoff.
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