Finnish Defense Minister says alliance with Sweden possible

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Finnish Defense Minister Carl Haglund has said Finland and Sweden could have a joint navy and air force within five years.

He made the remarks in an interview published by the Swedish language daily Hufvudstadsbladet on Saturday, when Finnish citizens celebrated the national Independence Day.

Haglund underlined that such cooperation would require a formal defense alliance between Finland and Sweden, and it should be part of the program of the next Finnish government taking office after the 2015 general election.

He also gave the Netherlands and Belgium as an example of European countries that have "amalgamated" their naval forces.

Haglund referred to recent research that indicated an alliance with Sweden would be more easily acceptable to the Finnish people than a membership in NATO.

Neither Finland nor Sweden is members of NATO. Both countries are among advanced partners of the alliance though.

Haglund said that through Finno-Swedish co-operation Finland would also have access to submarines.

Defense co-operation between Finland and Sweden has come up increasingly in public statements in both countries. The commander of the Swedish Defense Forces Sverker Goranson suggested in November that there would be joint command structures in the Baltic Sea by 2023.

Finland maintains general conscription while Sweden has currently a professional recruitment system.

This past autumn a wide-based political working group suggested an increase in Finnish defense spending.

Since 2012 Finland has actually reduced its military spending, however, and the war time strength of Finnish forces has been reduced from 350,000 to 250,000 soldiers.

Elsewhere in Northern Europe, the three Baltic countries Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania as well other Nordic countries as Norway and Denmark are members of NATO.

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