ISTANBUL
Nordic governments on Monday agreed to increase cooperation for "civil preparedness" and "resilience."
"In an era marked by an increasing frequency and complexity of crises, the eight Nordic governments share a commitment to foster resilience and ensure effective civil preparedness," said a joint statement from Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Greenland, the Faroe Islands, and Aland.
The statement also expressed their "unwavering commitment" to maintaining peace, security and stability.
"Together, we will build resilient communities that are well-equipped to face the different uncertainties of the future while safeguarding the wellbeing of our citizens," it added.
The readout outlined increased cooperation in many areas including nuclear and radiation safety, energy, climate change, space, financial markets, health, education and digital services.
The statement came after Nordic prime ministers held an informal summer meeting in Finland, focusing on security, competitiveness and support to Ukraine.
"As individual countries, we have recently made significant decisions to strengthen our security. We have taken decisions to increase our defense budgets. We do that because we know Russia is a long-term threat to us and whole Europe," Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo told a joint news conference with his counterparts.
Referring to the US President Donald Trump's recent criticism of his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin over renewed airstrikes on Ukraine, Orpo expressed his hope that it would lead to "real" peace negotiations.
"It looks like Trump is frustrated on Putin, and I hope that last message from him, shows that he understands that Putin does not want to have a peace," he added.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen underscored that they agreed to support Ukraine in "every way" they can with military support, investments to Ukrainian defense industry and cooperation with Ukrainian companies.
"The horrible attacks over the weekend proved that what we unfortunately already know, Russia is not interested in peace. So during the day, Putin talks about negotiations, then he bombs Ukraine during the night," Frederiksen added.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson reiterated that it was "extremely important" to obtain a peace on "Ukrainian conditions."
"I think it's very fair to say that a bad peace would be an invitation for another assault," he added.
Maintained support to Greenland, Denmark
During the briefing, the prime ministers of Denmark and Greenland thanked their Nordic counterpart for their support against Trump's desire to acquire Greenland, the autonomous Danish territory.
Frederiksen called for a respect towards the principles of the world order and the "serenity" of Denmark.
"The future of Greenland has to be decided in Greenland and nowhere else," she added.
Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen also called for a respect for international law and territorial rights.
"You can be fully certain that we stand by you and by Denmark in solidarity. And we will say this message everywhere," Norwegian premier reassured Greenland as well.
Support for two-state solution
Asked about the recognition of a Palestinian state, Frederiksen said it was not the right time although expressed support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, saying it is the "only way forward."
"We have to ensure that in the future, there will be a Palestinian state where people can live and where it is recognized from Israel," she said.
She also reiterated the need to "push" Israel to let the aid into Gaza, where thousands of civilians are "suffering."
"I think that we all agree that the humanitarian situation of civilians in Gaza is terrible and that Israel must allow humanitarian aid to the Gaza region immediately, and the UN and humanitarian organizations must be allowed to operate," the Finnish premier added.
He described the two-state solution as the "only sustainable" one.
"I don't think we do all that we can, because what is happening is completely beyond any acceptable norms and standards. This is not only a humanitarian complex situation. It is a disaster, and it's about the replacement of people," said Norwegian Premier Jonas Gahr Store.
Pointing out to the Israeli breaches of international law, Store stressed that even Israel's "close friend" Germany cannot stand by.
"We have been looking forward to a peace deal that could open mutual recognition, but we cannot let this government in Israel decide our principles on how we approach that. We are strong supporters of a two-state solution, and by recognizing Palestine, our signal is that Palestinians will be treated with the same rights and obligations as other countries under the Charter of the United Nations," he further said.
Echoing her Norwegian counterpart, Iceland's Prime Minister Kristrun Frostadottir acknowledged the international community had not done "enough."
"There's a human catastrophe unfolding in front of our eyes. international community has been too slow to act," Frostadottir said, stressing that the "time for action is coming."
