Arctic assembly highlights strategic rivalry, shipping plans and climate risks
More than 2,500 people from about 70 countries gathered in Reykjavík for the Arctic Circle Assembly on Oct. 8-10, 2026, a record turnout as melting ice reshapes the region's security and economic interests. Discussions ranged from tensions between Russia and NATO to cargo routes and climate risks with consequences far beyond the Arctic.
Security tensions shape the agenda
Writing in The Jakarta Post, Teuku Faizasyah and Astari M. Daenuwy identified strategic rivalry, economic competition and climate change as three central challenges emerging from the assembly. Attending for the first time, they focused on scientific research, maritime connections and geopolitics relevant to Indonesia.
Radio Canada International's Eye on the Arctic blog reported the record attendance. An Arctic Portal preview outlined a three-day program of roughly 200 sessions and 700 speakers under the theme "Navigating a Changing Arctic."
Russia had no official delegation at the gathering, continuing an absence dating to 2022, according to Eye on the Arctic. Yet its Arctic policies and the war in Ukraine remained prominent subjects of panel discussions.
Faizasyah and Daenuwy wrote that the prolonged war has deepened distrust between Moscow and NATO members and increased military preparedness. They compared renewed spending on Arctic surveillance and defense with the Cold War, when northern monitoring installations tracked Soviet activity and the Soviet Union maintained surveillance in return.
Regional governments are also adjusting their policies. Norway's High North approach emphasizes readiness, sustainable development and communities able to withstand disruption. Greenland, meanwhile, has drawn US and European interest because of its location and mineral potential.
Competing priorities for Arctic policy
In his assembly keynote, Adm. Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, chair of NATO's Military Committee, said the Arctic was likely nearing a turning point in both political and environmental terms. China, Russia and the United States had "different interests and different priorities," he said, according to Eye on the Arctic.
Cavo Dragone also said the European Union was preparing an Arctic policy paper for release in fall 2026, its first major statement on the subject since 2021. Eye on the Arctic described Iceland's August referendum as a setback for the EU's Arctic ambitions: voters rejected restarting membership talks by 52.8% to 47.2%.
Shipping ambitions and resource competition
Commercial competition now reaches beyond the Arctic's fisheries and oil and gas resources. Critical minerals and maritime transport present further opportunities, but pursuing them requires costly infrastructure and poses substantial environmental risks, the Jakarta Post authors wrote.
Chinese shipping company Sea Legend is seeking to establish regular cargo service along the Northern Sea Route, according to Eye on the Arctic. Its announcement followed the voyage of the Dubai Tower from Ningbo to northern England in August-September 2026. The company said its proposed "China-Europe Arctic Express" would involve at least eight transits annually.
China's recently completed 16th Arctic Expedition also illustrated the scale of its scientific activity in the region. Eye on the Arctic reported that the mission used the icebreakers Xuelong, Xuelong 2 and Jidi, supported by the research vessel Tansuo 3. Its multidisciplinary research included surveys of the Gakkel Ridge seabed and the deployment of buoys to measure ice activity, water temperatures and currents. Long-distance drones dropped some of those buoys.
Climate research draws interest beyond the north
The assembly also addressed the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, or AMOC, and the risks of its possible collapse. Arctic Portal identified the discussion as a key session, featuring Johan Rockström, director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, and Iceland's environment minister, Jóhann Páll Jóhannsson.
Countries outside the Arctic are expanding their scientific engagement. Türkiye's deputy minister of industry and technology, Muhammet Kasim Gönüllü, spoke at the assembly about his country's developing Arctic research interests. Türkiye joined the Svalbard Treaty in March 2025 and has expressed interest in becoming an Arctic Council observer, Eye on the Arctic reported.
Indonesia's Universitas Gadjah Mada, working with the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has launched the Tropical-Polar Interconnection Research Group. In a Feb. 26, 2026, report following the national seminar "Indonesia in a Connected Tropical-Polar World," the university also said it was advocating the creation of a national polar research center.