Increased focus on the Arctic and North Atlantic will be amongst Copenhagen’s priorities when it takes over chairmanship of the Nordic Defence Cooperation (NORDEFCO) from Sweden on January 1, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. “The Baltic Sea region, Arctic and the North Atlantic will be geographical areas of particular importance in 2024,” a ministry spokesperson told Eye on the Arctic in emailed comment on Friday. “Our ambition is to maintain the region as a region of low tension as we face new and special challenges in the North Atlantic and the Arctic region,” the ministry spokesperson said. “This is important for strategic lines of communication and supply, as well as for capabilities and operational cooperation. With Finland’s accession to NATO and Sweden’s future membership, Copenhagen says NORDEFCO’s work has more importance than ever.
