Helsinki 27 August : The Defense Ministers of Finland, Norway, and Sweden discussed ways of strengthening cooperation in the event that the five Nordic countries are NATO members.The media were asked questions following the meeting on Thursday about the possibility of setting up the possibility of establishing a NATO base in Finland, Finnish Defence Minister Antti Kaikkonen told reporters that he did not rule out any possibilities, according to Xinhua news agency.
Kaikkonen spoke to journalists after a having a meeting with Kaikkonen following a meeting with his Norwegian and Swedish counterparts, Bjorn Arlid Gram and Peter Hultqvist.
Finland and Sweden have officially applied to join NATO in May of this year.
In an announcement jointly issued, the Ministers stated that one of their primary goals is coordination and improve the three nations’ operational plan.
“The increasing presence of military personnel and activities in northern Europe underscores the importance of being prepared for any events,” they said, noting that “the security situation has become more difficult” as a result of the war between Russia and Ukraine.
The statement emphasized the significance of North Calotte and adjacent areas of strategic importance to the nation’s defense.
In the Calotte region the territory of the three nations meet.
“This cooperation offers the opportunity to decrease vulnerabilities and improve the security of the entire population in the northern regions of the countries we share,” the Ministers said.
In the last week there have been conflicting opinions on the Finnish political scene about the possibility of a NATO presence in Finland.
The conservatives of the opposition have declared in favor of this idea but the Left League, a party in the coalition government, is opposed to it.
Concerning possible bases, Kaikkonen stated: “Now is the time to get a quick membership.Discussions are in the pipeline regarding what the role of NATO will look like in Finland as well as Sweden after the membership process has begun and what type of the command structure NATO will use in the region.”
The three Ministers agreed that talks are necessary on the goals of the Nordic countries in NATO, he added.
