Stoltenberg: Defence and security policy commission must be set up
A special guest at the 66th session of the Nordic Council, otherwise known as the Nordic Summit, was former Norwegian Minister of Defence and Foreign Affairs Thorvald Stoltenberg, who shot to fame and earned widespread recognition for a 2009 report to the Nordic governments. In the report Stoltenberg made 13 concrete recommendations for greater cooperation between the Nordic countries in the fields of defence and foreign policy. An opinion piece on the report can be found in a 2009 issue of the Diplomaatia weekly (in Estonian).
"One thing is very clear to me," he said: "the current security situation is crying out for closer cooperation on defence and security policy in the Nordic countries." Such were Stoltenberg's opening words in the speech he gave before the national representatives, ministers and opinion leaders attending the summit. It is his view that a defence and security policy commission should be established at the regional level.
Stoltenberg also expressed his concern over the antagonistic picture that is being painted of Russia. "We can't fail to notice what I call the 'aggressive policy of force' of Russia, especially in the air space close to the Nordic region," he said. "It's not nice. The frenzied attention that the search for the submarine in the Stockholm archipelago drew hasn't made the situation any brighter either. But I note with concern how certain people are using this complicated situation to revive Cold War rhetoric. If certain people paint antagonistic pictures, that's a mistake."
Stoltenberg is of the view that security cannot be established in Europe without Russia, or against Russia. He says that dialogue with the country must be maintained.
NB8 summit
The prime ministers of the Nordic countries traditionally meet with their Baltic States colleagues ahead of the annual Nordic summit. At this year's NB8 summit Estonia was represented by Minister of Foreign Trade and Entrepreneurship Anne Sulling, standing in for Prime Minister Taavi Rõivas, who had to remain in Estonia due to work commitments.
Although the security policy situation was discussed at length at the NB8 summit in Stockholm, Minister Sulling also raised the issue of the digital economy.
Also attending the Nordic Council session from Estonia was vice-president of Riigikogu and Baltic Assembly president Laine Randjärv, who called on the Nordic Council to join the European Union's Eastern Partnership programme.