Finland prepares security agreement with US

Finland is preparing to sign a bilateral security and defence agreement with the United States, paving the way for closer cooperation, strengthening security in Finland and across Europe, and broadening US reach.

Speaking with tabloid newspaper Iltalehti on January 8, Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto said the agreement is still in the preliminary stages and unlikely to be finalised during the spring, Euractiv reports.

At the end of September 2022, the Finnish Foreign Affairs ministry announced it would open negotiations on a Defence Cooperation Agreement (DCA) with Washington.

The deal “would also create conditions for closer cooperation if the security situation so requires”, the ministry said in a statement, adding the negotiations are expected to take one to two years.

Describing the US as “the most important external actor in Northern Europe”, the ministry said opening negotiations shows Washington “is committed to security in Finland and Europe”.

Last May, Finland signed a similar agreement on security guarantees with the UK.

As of the beginning of last year, the US had signed DCAs or similar status agreements with 17 EU and NATO members as well as another six transatlantic defence allies which are not members of the European Union, including Norway.

In June, Norway finalised a supplementary agreement on defence cooperation, opening for a wide American exercise of authority and power on Norwegian territory, according to High North News.

“I believe we can learn a lot from how Norway builds its NATO activities,” Finland’s new ambassador in Oslo told the Norwegian newspaper in an interview published last Thursday (5 January).

The DCA with Helsinki is expected to cover the status of US forces when they operate in Finnish territory and cover practical matters, such as taxation, customs duties, and recognition of qualifications.

Haavisto was interviewed in Sälen, Sweden, where he is currently participating in the country’s annual national security conference, ”Folk och Försvars Rikskonferensen 2023”, where he is one of the speakers together with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

The theme of this year’s conference is “EU and NATO in the new security policy reality”.

The conference in Sälen gathers together Sweden’s key politicians, experts, media representatives and international participants to debate topical security policy questions.