Closed meeting about PST’s security situation in the north – news Troms and Finnmark

The county council is gathered in Vadsø this week. On Thursday, the parliament chose on its own initiative to close the meeting while the Norwegian Police Security Service (PST) informed about the threat situation in the north. Very unusual Such a closed meeting at a county council, says political scientist Jonas Stein, is very unusual. He is an associate professor in political science at the University of Tromsø. – I have not heard of such a closed meeting, but the county council is of course free to let itself be informed. It is natural that it happens in a closed meeting. If the meeting had been open, the information PST could have given would have been limited, according to Stein. Jonas Stein is associate professor of political science at the University of Tromsø. Photo: Rune N. Andreassen / news – In the Storting it is common for sensitive information to be given in closed meetings, for example in the defense and foreign affairs committee. The background may be that county operations, agencies or organizations should implement special measures on the basis of the security situation in the north, says Stein. – It happens all the time that a county council is closed, for financial matters, contracts or personal information. It is probably one of the first times that PST has asked for a closed meeting in an elected body. Taking the situation seriously Stein believes it says something about the security situation when PST asks for it. – The county council must usually be open. Then there are probably security reasons why exactly the doors are closed. He believes that people in Troms and Finnmark feel that the national security authorities are taking the situation seriously. – You can make up your own mind as to why PST chooses to inform Troms and Finnmark county council, and not Vestland, concludes Stein. Naturally, Jens Ingvald Olsen (R) confirms that this is the second orientation to the county council in Troms and Finnmark. The first was in March 2022, also behind closed doors. – We have been briefed by PST and that have a duty of confidentiality about what we have been told. It is completely natural as it concerns national security. The background for briefing is the security policy situation in the north, says Olsen. Several Russians have been arrested recently in Troms and Finnmark. They have flown a drone on Norwegian territory and they are not allowed to do that. They have been charged with a breach of section 4 of the Sanctions Act. Several drones have also been observed throughout the country over oil installations, airports and important infrastructure.



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