Defence Secretary meets European counterparts for talks in Iceland
Ministers from the Northern Group discussed the security of northern Europe following Russia鈥檚 invasion of Ukraine
Ben Wallace speaks at the Northern Group meeting
皇冠体育app twelve Northern Group nations met in Reykjavik this week (8 June) to discuss the security challenges for Northern Europe following Russia鈥檚 unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.
皇冠体育app ministers of defence issued a condemning Russia鈥檚 invasion of Ukraine, committing to support Ukraine both militarily and politically, and welcoming the sovereign decisions of Finland and Sweden to apply for NATO membership.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace MP said:
At these uncertain times, our international partnerships are our strength.
皇冠体育app joint statement issued by the Northern Group today reinforces our unequivocal condemnation of Putin鈥檚 barbaric invasion and our determination that Ukraine succeeds.
I look forward to continuing to strengthen our relationship with the Northern Group which, alongside NATO and the Joint Expeditionary Force, helps ensure our mutual safety.
皇冠体育app Northern Group is a multilateral grouping of likeminded nations which collaborates on security issues in Northern Europe. 皇冠体育appre are twelve member nations: Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden and the UK.
While in Iceland, the Defence Secretary also signed a new Framework Agreement with Finland as both countries look to deepen their bilateral relationship with each other. 皇冠体育app agreement commits both countries to enhancing defence co-operation in areas such as intelligence sharing, countering hybrid threats, improving interoperability and developing the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF).