Nordic countries to defend Iceland’s air space
Both Sweden’s minister of foreign affairs Carl Bildt and his Norwegian counterpart Jonas Gahr Støre confirm a joint effort to defend Iceland’s air space as of 2011, expected to be joined by Denmark and Finland as the Nordic foreign minister ajourn in Iceland’s capital Reykjavik on Tuesday.
The arrangement is considered controversial, as Denmark, Norway and Iceland herself are NATO members, as opposed to non-NATO countries Finland and Sweden.
Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Jonas G. Støre.
In an interview on Norwegian national TV news Sunday evening, however, Norway’s minister of foreign affairs expressed no concern over this.
The joint Nordic force is expected to take over the derelict U.S. Naval Air Station Keflavik, once established.
The American military command The Iceland Defense Force (IDF) was responsible for Iceland’s defence between 1951 and 2006, at which point the last U.S. airmen left Icelandic territory. The country has been left without a dedicated military defence since.
Top photo: Norwegian F-16 on the ground (Wikimedia Commons)
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