– It shows closer cooperation within the NATO system. Now all three countries can talk and work better together. It also has a deterrent effect, says Gunhild Hoogensen Gjørv. She is professor of security at UiT Norway’s Arctic University. Gjørv believes the planned headquarters is positive for the cooperation between Sweden, Finland and Norway. Finland has asked Sweden to lead a new NATO base in Lapland in northern Finland. This was confirmed by Sweden’s Defense Minister Pål Jonson and his Finnish colleague Antti Häkkänen at a press conference in Stockholm on Monday morning. The base will make it easier to quickly deploy multinational NATO forces in the event of a crisis. – Shows that we are ready Professor of security at UiT, Gunhilde Hoogensen Gjørv. Photo: Gunnar Grindstein / news Gjørv points out that the location of the base is important for Finland, which shares a long border with Russia. At the same time, it is centrally located between the Nordic countries. – Can such an establishment increase the tension? – No, I think it has the opposite effect, because it shows that we are ready. At the same time, we continue our work on the democratic side with good, fact-based debate, and show that we are also strong in the civil domain. The Ministry of Defense made the following statement about the NATO headquarters on Monday evening: – The news Finland and Sweden brought today is positive for Nordic and allied security, and shows that there is ever closer Nordic cooperation within the framework of NATO. As allies, we shall continue to work closely together in our region for our common security. This is a regular dialogue about bilaterally, in a Nordic framework and in NATO, says State Secretary Hans Christian Kjølseth Important in the defense of Finnmark Tormod Heier, professor at the Norwegian Defense Academy, tells TV 2 that NATO forces on the base can tie up large Russian forces in a crisis situation. Tormod Heier is professor of military strategy and operations Photo: Frode Fjerdingstad / news These are Russian forces that could otherwise have been used to defend the naval bases and nuclear forces on the Kola Peninsula. – The advanced NATO headquarters in Lapland will be important in the defense of Finnmark, believes Heier. Must wait for approval The planning of the headquarters is still in an early phase. First, the rest of NATO’s member states must approve the proposal. NATO has previously established several similar bases in member states bordering Russia. Finland and Sweden became members of NATO after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. So far, it is not known whether Norway will have a role at the headquarters in Lapland. Norwegian soldiers have long been deployed on a similar base in Lithuania. A final decision on the Nato base has not yet been made, but it may be in operation by the end of 2026. Published 17/09/2024, at 05.25
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Thinks new NATO base in Finland can deter the Russians – news Troms and Finnmark
