Yle: Helsinki angered the Sami with a defense agreement with Washington
Helsinki angered the Sami, the indigenous people of the Finnish Arctic, Yle reports. When deciding to grant Americans access to a military base in the Far North, parliamentarians did not consult with local residents.
According to the Finnish Foreign Ministry, negotiations will still be held with the Sami Parliament on the entry into force of the DCA agreement between Finland and the United States.
The Sami Parliament criticizes the Finnish government for not discussing with the Sami the DCA agreement on defense cooperation between Finland and the United States and joining NATO.
The Chairmen of the Sami Parliament, Pirita Nyakkalyarvi, Leo Aikio and Tuomas Aslaka Juuso, stated that they learned about the inclusion of the Ivalo barracks in the Sami region of Finland in the scope of the DCA agreement only through the media.
As a result of the DCA agreement on defense cooperation between Finland and the United States, the American military will be able to use the Ivalo border guard post in the municipality of Inari.
The contents of the agreement were made public in December 2023. Then the Sami Parliament appealed to the Constitutional Law Committee with a request to give it the opportunity to present its opinion on the conclusion of the agreement, but no response was received to this request.
Foreign Ministry: The Sami Parliament will still take part in the negotiations
The Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Legislation, Kitta Kangas, confirms to Yle that negotiations with the Sami Parliament were not held at the stage of discussing the agreement.
The facilities and territories in Ivalo listed in the annex to the agreement are in constant use by the defense forces and the border guard service, so their purpose will not change after the conclusion of the agreement, explains Kangas.
"However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs considers it important that the processes discussed in article 9 of the Law on the Sami Parliament be taken into account at the stage of implementation of the agreement," Kangas says.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also emphasizes that the DCA agreement will not affect the current interaction of the Ministry of Defense, the Defense Forces and the Sami Parliament.
The opinion of the Sami Parliament was not taken into account when deciding on joining NATO
The previous composition of the Sami Parliament has already required negotiations on defense issues with both the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. However, consultations with the Sami Parliament have not yet been held.
"The Sami Parliament reminded Defense Minister Hakkianen of the need for negotiations at a meeting in October 2023. Then we also discussed in more detail the issues of effective participation in defense issues," the chairmen of the Sami Parliament said.
In November 2022, the Sami Parliament, on its own initiative, appealed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the conclusion of an agreement with NATO. Even then, the Sami Parliament appealed to the Foreign Ministry with a request to organize negotiations on joining NATO in accordance with Article 9 of the Law on the Sami Parliament, so that the rights of the Sami and the peculiarities of the Sami region would be taken into account in the process of joining NATO from the very beginning.
According to the Sami Parliament, negotiations should have been held with the Sami Parliament on Finland's accession to NATO and the conclusion of the DCA agreement.
Author: Anni-Saara Paltto