Arctic Yearbook 2014 | Page 455

455 Arctic Yearbook Council. In all his years as Russian SAO, Anton contributed to strengthen the Council and raise awareness about the circumpolar cooperation. Thank you, Anton. What more is special about the Arctic Council? So far, I have not experienced any clear divisions among SAOs based on the traditional political directions. Geography, location and whether the respective country has political and economic interests in the Arctic are the most important factors for the decision making process. In addition to Anton, I want to thank two more great SAO Chairs who both have contributed to strengthening the Arctic Council, Gustaf Lind during the Swedish Chairmanship and Patrick Borbey during the Canadian Chairmanship. Eikeland