by Alexander Stubb, President of Finland, and Jonas Gahr Støre, Prime Minister of Norway

For Norway and Finland, the Arctic is not some distant place. It is our geography, our history, our immediate neighbourhood. It is part of our DNA.

We have vibrant cities and communities in the Arctic. Over centuries we have contended with how to make a living here. We have found ways to use its opportunities. We have worked to keep it safe and stable.

As leaders of two Arctic countries, we recognise the increasing geostrategic importance of our region, including its significance for allied security.

Norway and Finland both neighbour Russia. We have a shared Nordic and European identity. When Finland and Sweden joined Nato, all five Nordic countries became part of the alliance, thereby strongly enhancing Nato’s Arctic profile. 

Now seven Nato members have territory in the Arctic, the five Nordics, Canada and the US. We have always been present with military, political and diplomatic capacities, not to threaten anyone, but to make sure that nobody threatens us. Nato engagement in the Arctic is both legitimate and nothing new.

The Arctic is not a legal vacuum. All basic tenets of international law apply, including the UN Charter and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. Although the US has not ratified the convention, it is – together with all Arctic coastal states – a signatory to the 2008 Ilulissat Declaration, which confirms that the rights and the obligations of the Law of the Sea apply in the Arctic.

As a result, the Arctic is a well-regulated area. And compared to many hotspots around the world, the High North has been characterised by stability.

Nevertheless, Russia’s war in Ukraine has increased tensions. One of the largest concentrations of nuclear weapons in the world is located on the Kola Peninsula — close to our borders. These are strategic weapons directed first and foremost against the US. This is also where Russia is testing new weapons systems. Every day, we keep track of these activities — a contribution to collective security that benefits all Nato member states.

Looking ahead, we must strengthen our capabilities and preparedness. With melting ice, new sea routes are gradually opening. New actors, like China, are building capacity to operate in the Arctic. The quest for energy and mineral resources is intensifying, although climatic conditions and a lack of infrastructure makes commercial activity difficult. 

To strengthen Nato’s presence and capability further west in the Arctic, including in Greenland, we first need to respect each other’s borders and sovereignty. We stand with Denmark in our unwavering support for territorial integrity. The future of Greenland is for the Greenlanders and Denmark to decide. On this, there can be no compromise. 

Second, we need to further strengthen our common Arctic security and we have a solid base to build on. Regional plans and command structures have been updated. Through large Nato exercises, allied troops get invaluable winter training on our soil. Right now, we are preparing to host “Cold Response”, an exercise that will assemble 25,000 troops from 13 allied countries in northern Norway and Finland. 

We have modernised our defence capabilities, at sea, in the air and on land — we have trained thousands of our own forces and colleagues from our allies. We have concrete plans to take this further both nationally and collectively. The recent establishment of a Nato Forward Land Force component in the Arctic is testament to this.

And over the past year, the seven Arctic allies have driven a process in Nato to further intensify co-operation in this vast region, plans that all allies stand behind. We welcome these efforts, and are ready to engage.

Together, as partners in Nato, we can further advance security in the High North. We must use our combined strength as allies to do so.