Finland and Sweden have no plans to work closer in defence

Ministers to continue to discuss defence policy

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Finland and Sweden have no immediate plans to work closer together on defence, but discussions are continuing. At a meeting on Wednesday, the foreign and defence ministers of the two countries expressed satisfaction with the current level of cooperation.
      Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja (SDP), and Defence Minister Seppo Kääriäinen (Centre) met with their Swedish counterparts Carl Bildt and Mikael Odenberg at Königstedt Manor in Vantaa.
      All four were in visibly good spirits after the meeting. Tuomioja said that the four might hold another such meeting later this year.
      "We did not take any new unique steps, but it is important that the discussion should continue", Kääriäinen pointed out.
     
"Sweden has closer security cooperation with Finland than with any other state", Bildt said. "We stand closer to each other than ever before in history", Tuomioja added.
      There were no calls for a common defence policy, however; a poll released by the Finnish Broadcasting Company YLE on Wednesday revealed that both Finns and Swedes want to keep their respective defence policies separate.
      "And that is what we are doing", Tuomioja noted.
      When asked, Bildt denied that Sweden would be more eager than Finland to join forces. "Both countries have a similar basic philosophy."
      The meeting was unofficial, but during their lunch of blinis, the ministers discussed current issues, such as crisis management operations of the United Nations, the European Union, and NATO. Also on the table were structural change in the defence administrations of Finland and Sweden, as well as future cooperation.
      Existing ooperation in visual maritime surveillance was praised: Kääriäinen called it a "unique achievement". He said that he hoped that similar achievements could be made in air surveillance, which is more difficult and requires more time.
     
Defence cooperation between Finland and Sweden is broader than ever before, noted Pauli Järvenpää, a top official at the Ministry of Defence.
      The cooperation is spearheaded by a Finnish-Swedish coastal defence battle group, which conducted an exercise in October, practising crisis management in the Archipelago Sea. The exercises involved more than 1,000 soldiers and 70 vessels.
      If deployed on a real mission, the group would comprise about 200 volunteers, who might even serve under the NATO flag in a crisis management operation.
      Järvenpää expects that preparations for the EU’s rapid deployment forces next year will be increasingly emphasised in military cooperation between Finland and Sweden. The main role in the force of about 2,000 soldiers is with Sweden. The main force of about 200 Finns comprises a mortar compay, along with staff officers and soldiers specialised in electronic reconnaissance.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Finland wants permanent cross-border flight exercise areas with Sweden (17.1.2007)
  PM denies Finland is planning joint air surveillance with Sweden (15.1.2007)

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