Joint meeting of Nordic Foreign and Defence Ministers in Keflavík
The Nordic Foreign and Defence Ministers met today in Keflavík, Iceland, where the joint Nordic air defence exercise Iceland Air Meet 2014 is taking place – a strong manifestation of Nordic defence and security cooperation.
The discussions today have focused on recent developments in the Nordic security cooperation, practical cooperation in the Arctic, NATO partnerships as well as cooperation in international crisis management.
The Ministers confirmed their commitment to further develop the Nordic foreign, security and defence cooperation as stipulated in the December Vision statement of Nordic Ministers of Defence and the statement on Nordic foreign and security policy cooperation agreed by the Foreign Ministers earlier today.
The cooperation creates opportunities for the Nordic countries to develop, maintain and deploy national assets in more efficient ways. As an example, by broadening the model of Cross Border Training, opportunities will be created for future training events similar to the Iceland Air Meet. The Minsters agreed that regular meetings of Foreign and Defence Ministers strengthen the cooperation and they tasked their officials to study the possibility of conducting the Iceland Air Meet on a regular basis.
The Ministers agreed that the Arctic is characterised by peaceful cooperation and the Nordics should focus on ensuring long term civil and environmental security.
NATO partnerships and the future development of NATO was discussed. Nordic defence cooperation offers smart and effective ways for maintaining interoperability and preparedness among the Nordics, but also with international partners.
The Ministers also discussed the importance of comprehensive approach to building security during international crises and how the Nordics contribute to building global security through crisis prevention and management, as well as contributing to development cooperation.
The Foreign Ministers, in a separate meeting this morning, agreed on a statement on Nordic foreign and security policy cooperation In the meeting they discussed cooperation on candidatures within the United Nations and increased cooperation on disarmament.