Northern transport links must be improved for security reasons says Finland

The railway to Kemijärvi is a northeastern extension of the line from Rovaniemi in Lapland. Photo: Thomas Nilsen

President Alexander Stubb spoke on a visit to Oulu and Kemi in northern Finland on Wednesday.

According to President Alexander Stubb, it is “urgent and essential” to improve road, rail and air connections in Northern Finland.

“In this security policy situation, we cannot afford to delay. Of course, I understand that infrastructure projects are quite often slow, but I believe that the window of opportunity is the next few years,” he said at a press conference in Oulu on Wednesday.

Stubb said that there have been questions in NATO circles about Finland’s infrastructure.

Last week Stubb discussed the issue with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, who said that Finland and Norway will improve their cross-border rail and road connections for military use.

“Everything starts from treating each other with respect”

Stubb’s visit to Oulu started with a speech at the inauguration of Oulu’s new university hospital and a public event at the Valkea shopping mall, where he was interviewed by members of the North Ostrobothnian youth council. The mall was the scene of two stabbings of people of immigrant background last June.

At the media event, he was asked about his thoughts on Finland’s internal security situation in relation to those incidents.

“I lived abroad for a long time, and whenever there is discussion of the sense of security that guides Finnish society, there is surprise about how good it is. We still have security challenges. The Valkea cases are tragic in many ways. We have to get along with each other. Everything starts from treating each other with respect, regardless of background,” the president said.

After Oulu, the president was scheduled to visit Kemi, where he was to take part in the opening of a Metsä Group bioproducts factory.

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This story is posted on Independent Barents Observer as part of Eye on the Arctic, a collaborative partnership between public and private circumpolar media organizations.