On Tuesday, Parliament's Defence Committee received a briefing on current security policy issues from Minister of Defence Antti Häkkänen (Parliamentary Group of the National Coalition Party). The discussions focused on Greenland, but the meeting also addressed damaged underwater cables in the Baltic Sea as well as Ukraine.
The main message from Committee Chair Heikki Autto (Parliamentary Group of the National Coalition Party) is that Finland's bilateral defence cooperation with the United States continues on a stable footing and that the diplomatic dispute surrounding Greenland does not undermine the foundations of the bilateral defence relationship.
“Foreign-policy and diplomatic themes have been conflated with defence issues in ways that are unrelated. Cooperation is nevertheless proceeding as agreed. Finland has major defence procurement projects and defence cooperation initiatives under way, and their implementation is important both for Finland and for NATO's European pillar as a whole," he stated.
Finland supports Denmark's sovereignty
Autto and the Defence Committee's Vice Chair, Mikko Savola (Centre Party Parliamentary Group), see several ways to ease the tensions that have arisen around Greenland and to strengthen Arctic security.
According to Autto, Finland's starting point is international law and the Charter of the United Nations.
“Only the people of Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark can decide on Greenland's constitutional status. Finland supports international law and Denmark's sovereignty," Autto summed up.
Savola, for his part, proposed a continuous, rotational military presence in the Arctic region as an instrument of stability and deterrence.
Both also stressed open diplomacy towards the United States to resolve misunderstandings and help defuse the situation.
Ukraine must not be forgotten
Autto and Savola emphasised that support for Ukraine must not be overshadowed by the debate surrounding Greenland. The Committee received an update on international negotiations aimed at a ceasefire and a lasting peace.
On the cable damage in the Baltic Sea, Autto noted that activities are increasingly taking place in the grey area of legislation and international agreements. For this reason, Finland is seeking to strengthen regulation at EU level so that it better reflects the changed operating environment.