Statsministerns inledning vid konferensen Arctic Frontiers 4 februari 2021 Publicerad We leave a dark year behind us. 2020 will be remembered as a year of sickness and death, of cancelled plans, of lost jobs and uncertainty, all because of the pandemic. A new year has now begun. Times are still difficult, but there is a spark of optimism because of the vaccines, like the northern lights when the winter night is at its darkest. The pandemic is a brutal reminder of two things that are relevant for us in the Arctic countries. First, the structural vulnerabilities of Arctic communities. Access to health care and digitalisation have proven to be essential for managing life during the pandemic. These two things are a weak point in many parts of the Arctic region. I hope that the pandemic will be a catalyst for new development in those areas.