Russia’s first Senior Arctic Officials’ meeting strengthened connections between people and regions of the Arctic December 2, 2021The Russian Federation Salekhard, 2 December 2021. The first Senior Arctic Officials’ (SAO) plenary meeting during the Russian Chairmanship has just concluded in Salekhard and on screens across Arctic States and Observer countries. The Russian Federation hosted around 180 registered delegates from the eight Arctic States and six Indigenous Permanent Participant organizations, as well as the Arctic Council’s six Working Groups and over thirty Observers in a hybrid meeting format.