Changing situation needs deepened cooperation: Niinistö

Minister of Defence Jussi Niinistö on Friday said that the military operating environment has changed and it is a flux.

He also said that the consequences of this change are estimated to continue for a long time. This will be reflected also in the Arctic region and we need to take that into account.

Niinistö made the remarks while speaking in a seminar about the security situation in northern Europe in Stockholm, Sweden jointly organized by Folk och Försvar and Finlandsinstututet.

“The operating environment requires maintaining and developing the national defence capability by all of us. In the case of Finland, this will be supported through enhanced resources, updating our legislation and deepening defense cooperation,” he said.

The minister also commented on that Finland the same day had signed the documents for joining the UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) together with Sweden. He sees JEF is one of the important parts of our defence cooperation network.

Niinistö also pointed out, that when speaking about our shared security environment, one obviously has to talk a bit about Russia.

“Russia has displayed a strong resolve to re-establish its great power status. In the past Russia had a different toolkit for the near abroad states and for other foreign states; this approach seems to be changing. A single toolkit is taking shape: the tools of power politics that have been used for the near abroad can now be used also elsewhere - where Russia's security interests are at stake,” he added.