NATO will boost its military profile in the Nordic region primarily through more numerous and visible joint exercises with the Nordic Partnership for Peace cooperation states Sweden and Finland, Defense News reported.
"It makes sense to deepen our cooperation further, not alone among our Nordic allies and partners, but also with our Baltic allies," NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said during two days of talks between Nordic and Baltic defense ministers in Stockholm.
According to Stoltenberg, NATO’s move to deepen its military presence in the Nordic region is justified by what the alliance considers to be Russian aggression in the east and its increased activity in Baltic Sea, Defense News reported.
"Not in any way does NATO seek confrontation with Russia," he said. "What we are looking for is cooperation and dialogue. However, that cooperation must be based on predictability and strength."
During Stoltenberg's two terms as Norwegian prime minister – 2000 to 2001 and then 2005 to 2013 – Oslo and Moscow greatly improved ties.
But Norway imposed a ban on military cooperation with Russia when violence broke out in eastern Ukraine last year – a ban that remains intact.
Swedish Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist said NATO’s bolstered military presence in the Nordic-Baltic area would enhance security. However, he denied that the plan would pressure Sweden to move toward formal membership with the alliance, Defense News reported.
"Joint exercises are one way for Sweden to signal that the country is part of a collective force, even though we are not NATO members," Hultqvist said.
