Deputy Foreign Minister Edmondo Cirielli opened the annual international Arctic Connections Conference this morning, organized by the Italian Society for International Organization (SIOI) in collaboration with the Royal Embassy of Norway in Italy and the High North Center for Business and Governance.
The event comes at a key moment for the global Arctic agenda and precedes the Arctic Circle Forum – Polar Dialogue, which Italy will host on March 3 and 4. At the heart of the debate is the Arctic’s transformation from a region of scientific cooperation to a theatre of new strategic challenges, influenced by tensions between major powers.
In keeping with Italy’s strategic policy line in the Arctic, which sees us increasingly active in the region, also through the strengthening of bilateral relations with the Nordic countries, Deputy Minister Cirielli received the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Norway, Eivind Vad Petersson, at the Foreign Ministry today. During the meeting, Cirielli and Petersson discussed the main international agenda items, including transatlantic trade and the current conflict in the Middle East. From a bilateral perspective, they reaffirmed the strengthening of economic relations, with trade recording a 20% increase in the first 11 months of 2025.
