Copenhagen/Oslo - Nations bordering the Arctic were to meet Tuesday in western Greenland to discuss territorial claims and the impact of global warming as the region gains strategic importance.

The meeting gathers Norway, the United States, Canada and Russia along with Denmark and self-governing Greenland.

With the exception of the US, foreign ministers from all five countries were due to attend the two-day meeting in Ilulissat, western Greenland.

Danish Foreign Minister Per Stig Moller was Tuesday to meet his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Copenhagen for talks before both jointly travel for Greenland.

The melting of the Arctic polar cap, that allows for new potential shipping routes and also opens up new areas for exploration of what is believed to be rich finds of oil and gas, has boosted the region's strategic and economic importance.

"Some try to portray this as a race where the strongest prevails," Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Store recently told news agency NTB, saying that he disagreed since international treaties offered guidelines on how to solve differences.

As an example, he cited that while Norway and Russia were wrangling over a zone in the Barents Sea that could hold large reserves of oil and gas, they had the same view on how to approach the matter. (dpa)