Halonen wants more defence cooperation with Nordic Countries and Baltic States

print this

President Tarja Halonen welcomes the idea of increased cooperation in security and defence policy with the Nordic Countries and the Baltic States. The matter was taken up by Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt at a meeting with journalists on Wednesday.
      "He said that with respect to these new security risks, cooperation among the Nordic Countries might be even more important than membership in an alliance. In this respect one can say that he is largely on the same lines as Finland."
      President Halonen made her comments at an event organised in Mikkeli by a local association of the unemployed.
     
Of the Nordic Countries, Finland and Sweden are members of the European Union, Norway is a NATO member but not a part of the EU, and Denmark is a member of both. These divisions also affect security policy decision-making in the countries.
      "I feel that it could be very good to emphasise this kind of open-minded Nordic cooperation, and its further development regardless of alliance boundaries, while nevertheless taking them into consideration", Halonen said, commenting on Bildt's initiative.
      Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are members of both the EU and NATO. President Halonen pointed out that inquiries have already been made about the possibilities for cooperation with the Baltic countries.
      "For instance, in air surveillance and certain other areas, the input of NATO could be greater than it has been so far. Inquiries on the willingness for cooperation have been made on both sides."
     
In Parliament, Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Pertti Salolainen (Nat. Coalition Party) supports closer defence cooperation in the Baltic Sea area.
      "As it seems that the way to NATO is blocked, we can move forward on this road at least", Salolainen said in a telephone interview.
     
President Halonen said that she has tried to be "relatively quiet for now" in the debate over the upcoming government report on security and defence policy.
      She says that Nordic cooperation has been taken into consideration in the report in the traditional manner.
     
However, the chairman of the Parliamentary defence committee, Juha Korkeaoja (Centre) suggested that submitting the report to Parliament should be delayed until the end of the year, to avoid overlapping with the campaign for municipal elections scheduled for October 28th.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Nordic foreign ministers discuss security policy matters once again (1.11.2007)
  Norwegian Defence Forces Commander wants to provide Finland with NATO intelligence (26.11.2007)

Helsingin Sanomat