LEWISTON — U.S. Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, will head to Iceland later this week to participate in the 2015 Arctic Circle Assembly, King’s office announced Monday.

The Assembly, which runs through next weekend, brings together hundreds of organizations from across the globe and is designed to increase participation in a dialogue about and strengthen the international focus on the future of the Arctic, a release from King stated.

King, a co-founder of the Senate Arctic Caucus, will participate in a session Sunday, Oct. 18, with U.S. Navy and State Department officials focused on U.S. leadership in the Arctic.

Prior to the Iceland trip, King will deliver remarks Wednesday, Oct. 14, at Bates College’s Olin Arts Center Concert Hall in Lewiston. The speech — titled, “How Washington Works (Or Doesn’t)” — starts at  7:30 p.m. and is free and open to the public.

On Thursday, Oct. 15, King will tour the Portland Vet Center with U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Interim Regional Manager Steven Reeves.

Reeves’ visit to Maine, during which he will visit every Vet Center in the state, comes at the request of King, along with U.S. Sen. Susan Collins and Maine’s 2nd District Congressman Bruce Poliquin, both Republicans, following reports that certain Vet Centers in Maine — particularly the Lewiston-based facility — are inadequately staffed.

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