Roundup: Finland, Sweden to launch submarine exercise despite legislative barriers

Finland, a Nordic country forbidden to own any submarine in active duty, is planning to launch a joint submarine exercise together with Sweden.

Finnish Defense Minister Carl Haglund said he believed it will not draw Russia's abnormal reaction, Finnish national broadcaster Yle reported on Tuesday.

Haglung and his Swedish counterpart Peter Hultqvist revealed the plan at a security policy conference held in Sweden on Monday.

The two ministers said that their goal is, among others, to work together for searching foreign submarines. The exercise will be implemented during 2016 to 2017.

In last October, Sweden announced that a suspected "Russian submarine" was found in Stockholm archipelago, only 50 kilometers from its capital city of Stockholm. Swedish Naval vessels and planes launched a massive search.

Russia's defense ministry, however, denied any of its ships were involved.

Last Sunday, Swedish defense ministry confirmed they found a second "submarine" in waters near Stockholm city center, and they speculated that the suspected "Russian submarine" returned.

Despite widespread speculation that the submarine was Russian, the Swedish military never identified its nationality.

Finnish defense minister Carl Haglund told Yle that the incidents happened in Sweden have shown the necessity of submarine exercises.

It is easier to conduct the exercise together with Sweden, because Sweden has submarines, and Finland does not, noted Haglund.

The Finnish strength focuses on surface based activities, he added.

Haglund said he was not worried about Russia's reaction to the strengthened defense cooperation between Finland and Sweden.

"I do not think that Russia will regard it as a challenge. The fact is that Finland and Sweden have long been in close defense cooperation with each other," he was quoted as saying.

Haglund said that Russia has reacted to it properly. "Fortunately, Russia understands that this is not directed against it, nor any other country."

Finland has been forbidden to own any active submarine since the end of the second world war, and Finnish current legislation hampers a real submarine-hunting participation in Sweden.

However, a working group of the Finnish foreign ministry is reviewing the barriers to military assistance.

Haglund said he believed that the amendment in the relevant laws should be made by the parliament in spring or summer this year, so that Finland will provide help when Sweden asks in case of emergency.

The future form of the Finland-Sweden defense cooperation, which enables a submarine exercise, will be drafted up in a report and will be published next month, said Yle

The cooperation will be strengthened in many different areas, such as inspections on air space and sea areas, as well as sharing military bases. The number of joint exercises will be increased, and the flow of information between the two countries will continue to intensify. Endit