FLASH NEWS
NATO begins exercises in Finland, Norway and Sweden
2024-03-04 15:26:55 / BOTA
NATO began training on Monday to defend its newly expanded Nordic territory, where more than 20,000 soldiers from 13 countries will participate in exercises lasting almost two weeks in the northern regions of Finland, Norway and Sweden. .
Finland is participating with more than 4,000 soldiers in the Nordic Response 2024 exercise, which means it will become the first new NATO country with the largest participation in a military alliance exercise, according to the Finnish military.
"For the first time, Finland participates as a NATO member in the joint defense exercise of all alliance regions," the Finnish Defense Forces said in a statement.
Sweden's Armed Forces said 4,500 members from its air force, army and navy will take part in the exercise, which is being held in arctic winter conditions.
Finland, which shares a 1,340 kilometer long border with Russia, joined NATO in April 2023, following a historic decision ending decades of military neutrality. Its neighbour, Sweden, is completing formalities to join the military alliance as the 32nd member, after its application for membership has been ratified by all NATO members.
Sweden is expected to officially join NATO this month.
Finland and Sweden had developed strong relations with NATO after the end of the Cold War, but public opinion had been strongly against full membership until Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
Military neutrality was seen as the best way to avoid tensions with Russia, their powerful neighbor in the Baltic Sea region. But Russian aggression changed public opinion in both countries, and they applied to become NATO members in May 2022.
For many years, this NATO exercise held every two years in the arctic extremes north of Norway - has been called "Cold Response".
However, "thanks to NATO's expansion with Finland and eventually Sweden, we are now also expanding the exercises to a Nordic Response," the Norwegian Armed Forces said in a statement.
This Nordic exercise is part of Steadfast Defender 24, NATO's largest exercise in recent decades, which will involve 90,000 troops during several months of exercises aimed at proving that the alliance can defend all its territories. itself to the border with Russia.
The participating countries in the current exercise, which is held from March 15, are Belgium, Britain, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the United States./ REL
Happening now...
America may withdraw from Europe, but not from SPAK
Nga Gentian Gaba
ideas
top
Alfa recipes
TRENDING 
services
- POLICE129
- STREET POLICE126
- AMBULANCE112
- FIREFIGHTER128