Sweden and the United Kingdom strengthen defense co-operation
“We have had a very rewarding meeting and discussions about the common challenges related to the development of security policy in our immediate areas”, Sweden’s Minister of Defense Peter Hultqvist commented on this in relation to the British Minister of Defense Ben Wallace’s visit to Sweden last week.
Security policy developments in the Arctic and the surrounding areas were on the agenda when the two defense ministers met. At a joint press conference, Wallace stated that Britain continues to look north.
“The High North is an area that is becoming increasingly important for the UK. It has always been part of our strategic plan “, he said.
“An important part of Europe”
The British Minister of Defense highlighted the key roles of Norway, Sweden and Finland in the north and pointed out that British naval troops have trained annually in Norway for a long time. Now Britain also has about 200 soldiers in Sweden to learn from its armed forces.
“One cannot overestimate how important this part of Europe is to us in the UK. These are our homelands; the North Atlantic, the Nordic countries and the Scandinavian areas. This is where we patrol most with our submarines, and our fleet sails in the north. This is where we protect our friends and allies in Europe, “added Wallace.
Defense cooperation in the north
Sweden’s Minister of Defense Peter Hultqvist then said that Sweden and the United Kingdom have discussed how to expand their military cooperation and have agreed on a 42-point memorandum of understanding.
The agreement contains a clause under “High North Nordkaloten”, which means that British troops will conduct winter training in Arvidsjaur and participate in the Armed Forces’ exercises, according to SVT.
“I am very grateful to the UK that we can be so clear in our message about developments in the security environment around us up here in the northern parts of Europe, and that we have a direct link to the UK so that together we can take responsibility for the security situation. “
“We have also had the opportunity to show Sweden’s military capacity in a subarctic environment in relation to our visit to K4 in Arvidsjaur, a unique capacity,” added the Swedish Minister of Defense.
The unit can operate in all Swedish environments, however, its war capacity in a subarctic environment is its specialty and core, according to the Armed Forces. Last year, when it presented its long-term defense plan for the period 2021-2025, the Swedish government announced that it would resume the Swedish military regiment in Arvidsjaur.
Non-aligned, but realistic
Sweden’s Minister of Defense Hultqvist explains in an interview with SVT that Sweden, like Finland, is not part of any defense alliance, but still cooperates with other countries through bilateral and multilateral agreements.
“There is nothing in these cooperation agreements that violates our freedom of alliance. However, one must be realistic and realize that if something were to happen in our part of Europe, all countries in this part of Europe would be affected. And we must be prepared to interact in an emergency. “