Finland, Sweden sign MoU on Host Nation Support

Finland and Sweden on Tuesday signed a Host Nation Support Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Reykjavik, Iceland, said the Ministry of Defence in a twitter post late Tuesday night.

Defence Minister Antti Kaikkonen and his Swedish counterpart Peter Hultqvist signed the MoU with the view to strengthen Finland's and Sweden's defence and to deepen bilateral cooperation in all security situations, according to a ministry press release.

It will lay the foundation for operational cooperation in peacetime and will make agreeing on host nation support for exercises more flexible.

Host Nation Support (HNS) means separately agreed measures to be taken by a host nation to support the capabilities of forces of another state.

Host nation support is provided and received, for example, during all international exercises in Finland and abroad and in military crisis management.

From Finland's perspective, the key objective in enhancing practical capabilities for host nation support is to ensure that military assistance can be received effectively.

The current security situation has accelerated the development of host nation support arrangements between Finland and Sweden in 2022 as part of Finland's and Sweden's deepened defence cooperation.

Earlier, on May 24, Finland and NATO signed a mutual Host Nation Support Technical Arrangement in Mons, Belgium with the view to enhancing practical capabilities ensuring military assistance effectively.

Meanwhile, Kaikkonen is also taking part in the Northern Group's defence minister meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday in Reykjavik, said the ministry in a separate press release.

The Northern Group stands for the Northern European Defence Policy Forum, chaired by Iceland during the first half of 2022.

The meeting chaired by Iceland's Minister for Foreign Affairs Kolbrún Thórdís Reykfjörd Gylfadóttir will discuss the impact of the war started by Russia on the security situation in Northern Europe and security threats in the Arctic region.

The Northern Group is led by Great Britain and includes, apart from Nordic and Baltic countries, the Netherlands, Poland and Germany.

While in Reykjavik, Minister Kaikkonen will sign a bilateral framework agreement with the UK Secretary of State for Defence.