US to open its only Arctic mission

The United States will soon open a small diplomatic mission in Norway that will be its northernmost in the world and only such facility above the Arctic Circle, the Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Thursday.

The move, which Blinken announced at a news conference in Oslo after attending a NATO foreign ministers meeting, comes as competition over high-northern resources with Russia deepens.

Blinken said the U.S. would open a US presence point in Tromsoe, which sits 217 miles north of the Arctic Circle. The position is to be filled later this year and will be staffed by a single U.S. diplomat with the title of consul. We re here to work with like-minded allies to advance our vision of a peaceful, stable and cooperative Arctic Council, he said, before meeting Norway's foreign minister, whose country is preparing to assume the chairmanship of the Arctic Council.

Norway will take over the eight-nation grouping of nations that border the Arctic after two years of Russian leadership, during which the bloc was largely ignored by other members due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

In 1994, the State Department had maintained a office in Tromsoe, but it was closed due to a re-alignment of diplomatic facilities after the Cold War.

The United States is a proud Arctic state and takes seriously our role as stewards of the region. Marc Nathanson, ambassador to Norway, said in a statement.

Norway and the US share a long and proud history of collaboration on Arctic issues, said Norwegian Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt.

In a statement, she welcomed the U.S. plans to establish a presence post in Tromsoe this year, which I am sure will further strengthen our close cooperation.