NATO should focus on Arctic defence, Anand says

Canada's Foreign Minister Anita Anand told a symposium that NATO needs to give more attention to Arctic defence amid Russian activity and debate over Greenland, and she will travel next week to open a Canadian consulate in Nuuk.

Canada's foreign minister said NATO must pay greater attention to defending the Arctic, and she linked the call to broader concerns about the international order. Anita Anand spoke at the Nordic-Canadian Arctic Symposium in Ottawa and cited recent debate over Greenland and Russia's Arctic activity as factors changing the region's security environment. She noted that Canada will continue to press allies about the north while advancing its own Arctic strategy. Anand plans to travel next week to Copenhagen and Greenland to open a Canadian consulate in Nuuk. Key points: - Anita Anand urged NATO to focus more on the North and the North Atlantic in light of changing regional dynamics. - The speech cited Russia's Arctic expansion and debate over Greenland as evidence the Arctic is no longer a low-tension region. - Anand said Canada will work with like-minded countries to defend sovereignty and principles of territorial integrity. - The remarks followed Prime Minister Mark Carney's recent comments about strains in the rules-based international order. Summary: The comments move Arctic defence higher on the policy agenda and reflect Canada's intent to press NATO and partners about northern security. Anand will travel to Copenhagen and Nuuk next week to open a consulate as part of Canada's Arctic strategy. Undetermined at this time whether NATO will change its overall posture in response.