Leaders of Finland, Norway and Sweden meet to discuss security in Bodø
By Hannah Thule
Finland’s President Alexander Stubb and Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson will meet with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre on June 19-20, 2024.
The topic of the meeting on June 19-20 in Bodø is the deepening cooperation between Finland, Sweden, and Norway as members of NATO. Other topics to be covered is the security situation in the neighbouring area and the connection between the Baltic Sea and the Arctic region.
In addition to the presence of Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, Finland’s President Alexander Stubb and Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, the countries’ Defence Ministers will attend.
The meeting starts on Wednesday evening, when Gahr Støre will receive Kristersson and Stubb on the coast guard vessel KV Svalbard, which is docked at Bodø harbor.
On Thursday, there will be an RIB (Rigid Inflatable Boat) tour from Bodø harbor to Saltstraumen.
Later on the Thursday, Stubb, Kristersson and Gahr Støre, will visit the Norwegian Armed Forces Joint Operations Headquarters in Reitan, located 25 kilometers east of the town of Bodø. Defense Ministers Antti Häkkänen (Finland), Bjørn Arild Gram (Norway), and Pål Jonson (Sweden) will also participate in the meeting.
The Armed Forces Operational Headquarters is in many ways the heart of the Norwegian Armed Forces. From the operations room inside the mountain facility, FOH continuously monitors the activities of the Armed Forces and coordinates information from units around the country. The headquarters also coordinates, plans, and leads the Armed Forces’ national and international military operations.
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: Canada pledges billions for defence, falls short of NATO’s 2%, CBC News
Denmark: Denmark’s Arctic, North Atlantic focus: Canada among new defence attaché posts, Eye on the Arctic
Finland: US, Norwegian forces in Lapland for rapid reinforcement exercise, The Independent Barents Observer
Iceland: NATO Iceland airspace patrol begins this week, Eye on the Arctic
Norway: Norway doubles up on missile defence as Russia flexes its ballistic arsenal, The Independent Barents Observer
Russia: Northern Fleet nuclear-powered submarine makes historic port call in Havana, The Independent Barents Observer
Sweden: Swedes must mentally prepare for war, says military top brass, Radio Sweden
United States: White House releases U.S. Arctic strategy implementation plan, Eye on the Arctic
