Security in the Arctic Region among topics of discussions - Chief of the Defence Command attended the Northern Group’s vice chiefs of defence meeting in Greenland
Chief of the Defence Command Finland, Lieutenant General Vesa Virtanen participated in the conference of the Northern Group’s vice chiefs of defence organised in Iceland and Greenland on 9-12 September.
The conference brought together military leaders from the armed forces of Northern European countries to discuss preparedness, enhancement of cooperation and the security situation in the Arctic Region and the Baltic Sea.
The conference was hosted by Denmark. The actual organisation was handled by the Joint Arctic Command (JACO), which is responsible for the military defence of Greenland and the Faroe Islands and for surveillance in the Arctic Region. The topics of discussions centred around the special features of the Arctic operating environment and the countries’ collective preparedness in the changing conditions. Security in the Northern European area was also emphasised, since stability in the Northern areas is necessary for security in the whole of Europe.
Lieutenant General Virtanen stressed the importance of cooperation:
– Close cooperation with the Northern Group countries is very important to us. Our multinational exercises, information exchange and ability to work together strengthen stability and security both in the Arctic Region and in the Baltic Sea.
The conference was an opportunity to bring up Finnish expertise in operating in an Arctic environment, to strengthen cooperation with our close allies and to elaborate on the common situation picture of security in the Arctic Region.
The Northern Group is a forum which deals with security and defence in Northern Europe. The Group consists of the Nordic and the Baltic countries, Poland, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. The Northern Group’s vice chiefs of defence meet annually to discuss topical issues. The Finnish Defence Forces’ representative in the forum is Chief of the Defence Command.
