The Prime Ministers of Finland and Sweden, Fredrik Reinfeldt and Jyrki Katainen, have today reaffirmed their willingness to take part in air surveillance of Iceland from April 2014.

“We have decided that it would be natural for Sweden and Finland to join Norway’s surveillance stint between January and April 2014,” Katainen said.

Prime Minister of Iceland Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir, who is participating in the meeting of Nordic and Baltic States Prime Ministers in Helsinki, welcomed the declaration of intent.

According to ruv.is, it has not yet been decided whether the aircrafts will be armed. The ultimate decision is however subject to approval by national parliaments, governments and NATO. NATO must approve the participation of the two non-NATO countries in the patrols. Jóhanna said that she believes the Icelandic government supports the move.

The agenda for the meeting includes discussions on the economic situation in Europe, international issues and various aspects of co-operation between the Nordic and Baltic States, as stated in a press release from the Office of the Prime Minister of Iceland.

The Prime Ministers will also address the opening session of the Nordic Council this afternoon as well as attend a meeting with the self-governing regions, the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland Islands.

Related story:

September 9 | New Agreement on Surveillance of Icelandic Airspace?

ZR