OREANDA-NEWS. India and Norway today discussed issues of co-operation in the Arctic region. The Minister for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences Dr. Harsh Vardhan met the Norwegian delegation led by Shri Eivind S Homme, Ambassador of Norway to India at the beginning of the day-long seminar in New Delhi to kick start discussions on growing severity of climate change as perceived most in the Arctic. These issues are of special significance to the Indian subcontinent as several studies indicate an apparent link between the polar atmospheric processes and the Indian monsoon intensity. Geo-strategic and geo-economic imperatives of the region also came up for discussion. 

The Secretary of the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Dr. Shailesh Nayak, Deputy National Security Advisor, Government of India Dr Arvind Gupta, Additional Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs, Mr Vinod Kumar, Director, Norwegian Polar Institute, Dr Jan-Gunnar Winther were among those who addressed the Seminar.

Although India’s engagement with the Arctic dates back to nearly nine decades when it signed the Svalbard Treaty in February 1920, our focused scientific studies of the Svalbard region centered on the International Arctic Research facilities were initiated only around eight years back with the Indian station “Himadri” that was set up at Ny-Alesund. Indian scientists have initiated several innovative programmes in such disciplines as Climate Change, Glaciology, Atmospheric sciences and Biological Sciences. To date, over 125 researchers from nearly two-dozen national research institutions and Universities have visited Ny-Alesund for scientific data collection and the results have been published in over 60 peer-reviewed national and international journals. India is a Member of International Arctic Science Committee and in May 2013, India along with some other Asian countries were given the permanent Observer’s status in the Arctic Council.

The success stories of India’s scientific endeavours in the Arctic are largely reflective of the synergy between the scientists of India and Norway. The day-long Seminar comprises keynote addresses by scientists from both India and Norway focusing on climate change in the Arctic and its global consequences and also the importance of the Arctic as a platform for Indo-Norwegian scientific cooperation. Following the scientific presentation and discussions a Session on Commerce, Governance and Policy in the Arctic, and a Panel Discussion w as held.

India’s premier think-tank, the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA), now in its 50 years, along with three Norwegian research institutions Fridtjof Nansen Institute (FNI), the Norwegian Institute for Defence Studies (IFS) and Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) has been on the forefront in fostering Indo-Norwegian co-operation in the Arctic region from a geostrategic and governance perspective. The edited volume Arctic: Commerce, Governance and Policy by Uttam Sinha and Jo Inge Bekkevold was also released on the occasion.