Iceland's President Olafur Ragnar Grimsson has welcomed the holding of the Arctic Forum in Moscow as a sign of Russia's willingness to engage over the future of the continent.
"I think the forum in Moscow is a very strong signal that Russia wants to have a very constructive dialog with the other countries in the Arctic," Grimsson said in an interview with RIA Novosti in Moscow on Thursday.
"The forum in Moscow now is very formidable proof how far we have developed. It demonstrates that we intend to continue together not in conflict but in cooperation.... Countries in different parts of the world are beginning to watch this new model of cooperation in the arctic because it's dynamic, it's open, it's democratic and it produces results. What we are doing in this forum in Moscow and in cooperation in the Arctic is not just of importance to us - it's also becoming a very interesting model for other parts of the world," he said.
RIA Novosti
