Holding a new NATO exercise with the presence of 2 new members

According to the Daily Mail newspaper, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) will start an exercise this Monday with the aim of defending the newly developed territory of Northern Europe, which will involve more than 20,000 soldiers. 13 member countries are participating for two weeks in the northern regions of Finland, Norway and Sweden.

According to the Finnish army, more than four thousand Finnish soldiers are present as the newest member of NATO in this large exercise, which is the largest military presence of a NATO member. This exercise is led by Norway.

Finland, which shares a 1,340-kilometer border with Russia, joined NATO in April 2023 (April 1402) in a historic move after decades of non-commitment. In the meantime, Sweden, as Finland’s other neighbor, is completing the formalities to enter this military alliance as the 32nd member, and it is said that it is likely that Sweden will enter this alliance in March (March and April).

This exercise, titled “Cold Response”, has been held every two years at the far end of the Arctic in northern Norway.

Countries participating in this exercise, which continues until March 15 (March 25), include Belgium, England, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and the United States.

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Norwegian military authorities say that the main focus of this exercise is the defense and protection of the Nordic region. Brigadier General Thoren Strand of the Royal Norwegian Air Force and commander of the Norwegian Air Operations Center said in a statement: “We must be able to communicate with anyone who wants borders, values “And if our democracy challenges us, let’s confront and stop it.” He added: “With the current security situation in Europe, this exercise is very relevant and more important than ever.”

NATO has also announced in its news base: “The Nordic region (Northern Europe) is an important and strategic region for NATO, and the Nordic Response 2024 exercise will demonstrate the readiness of this region and the ability to conduct large-scale joint operations in challenging weather conditions. increases”.

Source: IRNA